The police are speaking to boat owners as part of their investigations into the death of Charles Brignone who was hit on the head by a propeller while snorkelling in Żonqor last Sunday.

Sources said the investigations were hinging on information given by members of the public who were pointing officers to boats that were or could have been in the area at the time of the accident.

“We have suspects who we are speaking to and inspecting their boats but we have nothing concrete in hand,” the sources said.

It was impossible to establish the size of the boat going only by the fatal head injuries sustained by Mr Brignone and this made investigations doubly hard, the sources added.

Mr Brignone, an avid snorkeller, was on his annual family camping trip in Żonqor, limits of Marsascala, when he went snorkelling at about 10 a.m. When he did not return by mid-afternoon his wife, Josianne, called for help. His body was found the following morning.

An autopsy indicated he died of skull lacerations, which sources said could have been caused by a propeller. As a result, the police are treating the case as involuntary homicide.

Mrs Brignone said she was willing to forgive the person who hit her husband and called on both boat owners and snorkellers to be careful when out at sea.