The captain of a boat was arrested after a diver went missing while working in waters in southwest Hong Kong on Monday.
An air and sea search-and-rescue operation was launched for the 53-year-old diver, surnamed Choi.
An arm was later found in the water.
Choi had gone into the sea from a boat to carry out salvage work about 20 metres off Shek Kwu Chau shortly before 10am.
He was tied to a rope which was held by a colleague on the boat.
“Initial investigation showed the boat drifted for a distance and it was believed the propeller severed the rope when the engine started,” a police source said.
Choi’s colleague called police at 10.13am when the diver failed to surface, he added.
Police arrested the captain – a 58-year-old man – on suspicion of endangering the safety of others at sea. As of 7pm, a police spokeswoman said the captain was still being held for questioning and had not been charged.
Rescue divers later found a right forearm in waters nearby but it was not confirmed whether it was related to the incident.
The spokeswoman said Choi was in the water to salvage a buoy which sank when
Typhoon Mangkhut hit the city last month.
Officers from the marine police and Fire Services Department were deployed in the search along with a government helicopter.
A fire services spokeswoman said three fire engines and an ambulance were dispatched along with two fireboats and two vessels carrying divers.
By 4.45pm, divers had gone into the water six times to search for the man, she added.
