
A desperate search is under way for a Royal New Zealand Navy sailor in Samoa, after he failed to return to his Auckland military base this week.
Joseph Tua has not been seen or heard from since last Saturday after he visited To-Sua Trench, a famous tourist spot on Samoa’s Upolu Island.
Tua is a junior sailor at the Devonport Naval Base and holds the rank of able stores accountant.
He had flown to the Pacific nation last Friday morning for a short holiday and to visit his two uncles, who live near Apia.
A Samoan police constable familiar with the case told the Herald the investigation into the 24-year-old’s disappearance was ongoing.
Police on the island are also being assisted by the New Zealand High Commission in Apia, and the Navy will send a family liaison officer to Samoa within the next 48 hours.