A 19-year-old man from Tu‘anekivale died after shooting himself with a .22 rifle at his home on Tuesday July 30, the Vava’u Police reported.

Superintendent Netane Falakiseni said the death occurred at around noon and was being treated as a suicide.

A witness saw the young man go into his house before coming outside and shooting himself in the chest.

"We have seized the firearm that was registered to the boy’s father," he said.

The deceased was a student in a technical course at Saineha High School, and police believed that alcohol was involved in the incident.

It is the second suicide reported in the outer island for the year.