Islamabad  - An Indian prisoner died from electrocution in Pakistan's southern city of Karachi on Monday, the Urdu-language Geo News television channel said.

The detainee, Bhagwandas Bhika, suffered a fatal electric shock from a water pump when he was washing clothes at the designated area in Malir Jail, Geo quoted unnamed prison officials as saying.

A judicial team was carrying out a preliminary inquiry into the incident, after which a post-mortem would also be carried out on the fisherman, according to the officials.

Bhika and 16 other Indian nationals were taken into custody by the maritime agency on April 21 when they were found fishing in Pakistan's territorial waters.

The television channel said more than 375 Indian fishermen were currently being detained in Malir Jail.

Authorities of both South Asian neighbours regularly arrest each other's fishermen who drift into rival zones for a bigger catch.

Scores of such people are languishing in Indian and Pakistani prisons, however the governments have been releasing detainees in batches as part of their efforts to normalize strained relations between the nuclear-armed rivals. (dpa)