12 Oct 2005

Wallisian man killed in sword attack

7:35 pm on 12 October 2005

Tension has risen in Wallis after a man was killed in a sword attack.

The victim was a 21-year-old man who died from his injuries in hospital in Mata Utu after being attacked by a man in his fifties.

The incident occurred at the weekend when those involved in the fight were drinking.

The man accused of the killing has been arrested and flown to New Caledonia.

The killing prompted the victim's family to burn down the attacker's house.

Reports say the fight is not related to the rivalry between clans which last month led to armed blockades and vandalism.

The alleged killer and the victim are from rival clans.