Durban - When divers from Durban Search and Rescue and Metro Police Search and Rescue heard about a severed arm seen floating in the Durban Harbour, they wasted no time in having it recovered.
However shortly after the recovery it was established that the "severed limb" was in fact a lifelike Medical Training Prosthesis.
According to Steve Middleton, head of Durban Metro, Transnet Stevedores alerted the Port Captain that a severed arm was seen floating in the water along the wharfside on Monday.
"The howling South Easterly wind had pushed the limb into a large flotsam of debris between a cargo vessel and the wharf.
"Divers immediately jumped in to recover the limb before it submerged beneath the debris and vessel. However it was soon established that it was a prosthesis."
Middleton said on a lighter note the incident was not lost on the divers.
"It provided a true reflection of Response Time, Rapid Access to an extremely difficult Surface Search and Recovery and the coordination between different organisations."
Parbhoo Sewpersadh from Durban Metro said this effort foes to show the success rate of the recoveries by both teams which is usually between 95-98 percent.
In August, police have recovered the body of a man who went missing at the Durban Harbour.
The arm that was found floating.
Picture: Supplied
The man was part of a three-man team whose canoe capsized in the waters between the Esplanade sandbank and Central sandbank in the channel on Friday.
One person was rescued and the other swam to safety.