A 45-year-old man was on Saturday afternoon killed in a fight that erupted at a drinking joint at Msangu in Salima following a row with a friend, police said.

Salima Police Public Relations officer Gift Chitowe identified the deceased as Francis Kalimbuka of Chikhwaza village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Mthiramanjanja in Mulanje district.

He said Kalimbuka had gone to drink locally distilled beer at the joint with his friend identified as Matumbi Edwin Simati,32 when the two picked a quarrel and started fighting.

“The two were drinking local beer together, after some hours a quarrel arose between the two and later it resulted into a fight,” Chitowe said.

He said realizing that he was being overpowered Simati picked a stone and hit his friend on the head and he fell unconscious and was pronounced dead on arrival at the District Hospital.

Post-mortem results revealed death was due to head injuries.

According to Chitowe police have since arrested Simati and is expected to appear in court soon to answer charges of murder.