A young footballer lost his life in India's north-east over the weekend after injuring his spinal cord while celebrating a goal he had scored, newspapers reported on Monday.

Peter Biaksangzuala, 23, fell backwards on his head as he took a series of somersaults after scoring the equaliser for his team in a local match in Khawzawl town close to India's eastern border with Myanmar last Tuesday, the Times of India said.