FILE PHOTO: Prime Minister of Tonga Samiuela Akilisi Pohiva addresses the United Nations General Assembly in the Manhattan borough of New York, U.S., September 24, 2016. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
WELLINGTON (Reuters) – Tongan Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva, who was being treated for pneumonia at a hospital in Auckland, has died, New Zealand media said on Thursday.
Pohiva, 78, was medevaced to Auckland Hospital on Wednesday, Radio New Zealand said.
The news was confirmed by an information ministry official, although the prime minister’s office could not immediately be reached for comment.
The Tongan parliament has been deferred indefinitely as a result, media said.
Reporting by Praveen Menon; Editing by Clarence Fernandez
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source: reuters.com