Kiwi man missing in Perth

A Kiwi living in Western Australia has been missing for more than a week after disappearing during a night out in Perth.

Western Australia Police posted on their Facebook page on Tuesday seeking sightings of Sean David Mitchell. The 37-year-old from Rotorua, who has been working as a miner in Western Australia, was last seen drinking with friends at a beer cafe in Perth at 5pm on Friday May 20. He is understood to have later boarded a yacht.

It is believed Mitchell used his Smart Rider card to board public transport at 9pm, but he did not tag off. An hour later he called a friend and spoke to her about going on another friend's yacht moored on the Swan River near the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club.

Four days later a member of the public told police he had found a bag belonging to Mitchell, and with some of his belongings still inside, on Saturday, May 21, in the Swan River at Blackwall Reach in Bicton.

Mitchell is described as being of medium build with fair skin, red hair and blue eyes. Western Australia police want to speak to the friends Mitchell was drinking with the night he disappeared, and anyone who may know where he is.

The New Zealand Herald was not able to contact Western Australia police but some Australian media outlets have reported that Mitchell reached the yacht, before later using a yellow dinghy to row to shore from the yacht. Water police later found the dinghy on the beach at Chidley Point, Mosman Park, on Thursday, they reported.

A police spokeswoman told Perth Now the yacht and dinghy had been forensically examined but no clues to Mitchell's disappearance found.

A Facebook page, Help Us Find Sean Mitchell, has been set up and friends of Mitchell also launched a private water search. Perth Now reported half a dozen boats took part in the search today.

Western Australia police can been contacted on +61 8 9351 0699.