Police divers find body in Waikato River

The police dive squad search for the body of Hazael Mailata, 21. A body has this afternoon been found in the Waikato River. Photo / Belinda Feek

The Police National Dive Squad has found a body in the Waikato River this afternoon.

The find comes about 36 hours after 21-year-old Hazael Mailata was last seen by his partner swimming in the river near Grantham St, Hamilton, about 3am Wednesday morning.

Family and friends have been searching for him ever since, while the dive squad arrived in Hamilton on Wednesday afternoon.

Police this afternoon confirmed a body has been found in a search for Mailata. A post mortem will now be performed.

Mailata was an employee of Bar 101, which is owned by The Lawrenson Group.

Company spokesman John Lawrenson said he'd been told a body had just been found.

Bar 101 would now be closed for the weekend out of respect for Mailata, whose partner was the general manager at the pub.

Mailata had worked at Bar 101 as a bouncer for about a year and was a student at Waikato University.