An unidentified body of a European man was found on November 7 by divers investigating a yacht that went aground on a reef, in the southern part of the Vava'u Island Group of Tonga.

Tonga Police Commissioner Grant O'Fee said this morning, that the man was not a Tongan national but a Palangi who appeared to have been dead for quite some time. No one else was on board the yacht when the body was found, he said.

Two divers spotted the yacht on the reef and one climbed on board to check and found the dead body. They immediately returned to Neiafu and informed the police, but due to the bad weather and strong winds last week the police were not able to go down immediately, until November 9.

"It takes a couple of hours from Neiafu to reach the area," he said.

Commissioner O'Fee said the body was now at the hospital in Neiafu and an autopsy would be held this week.

"In the meantime, I have dispatched a group of detectives to investigate the death. I would not say at this stage that this death is suspicious but rather it is an unexplained death", he said.

The yacht was understood to be relatively big, around 40ft. Its name, origin, owners and when it arrived in Tonga remains unknown at this stage but an investigation was underway and details would be made known, Commissioner O'Fee said.