Don't pointscore over deaths, Nauru chief

Nauru's president doesn't want the drowning deaths of a refugee and a rescuer used for political pointscoring.

The refugee, who had been resettled on the Pacific island after being processed at an immigration detention centre there, drowned at the weekend.

President Baron Waqa, in expressing remorse for the victims, said water accidents were a threat for all coastal communities.

"We do hope that everyone acknowledges the accidental nature of this and does not attempt to gain political mileage from such a tragic event," he said in a statement on Monday.

Nauruan police are investigating the deaths which will be the subject of a coronial inquiry.