Bengali asylum seeker dies in road accident on Nauru: government

A Bengali asylum seeker residing at Nauru detention centre has died in a traffic collision, the Nauru government says.

A Bengali asylum seeker residing at Nauru detention centre has died in a traffic collision, the Nauru government says. Pictured is a file image of the centre. Source: Department of Immigration

A 29-year-old male Bengali asylum seeker has died after the motorcycle he was travelling on collided with another vehicle, the Government of Nauru said in a statement on Thursday.   

The police are investigating the accident.

"Reports on social media alleging this was more than an accident are false," the statement said.

"The Government of Nauru extends its sincere sympathy to the family and friends of the deceased."

Ian Rintoul, of Australia's Refugee Action Coalition, told SBS News he understood some people were "unhappy" about the way authorities responded to the crash.

He said authorities cleaned up the scene quickly, contrary to the way they usually treat crashes involving Nauruan victims.

"There are raised suspicions because of the way it was handled," he said.