Hanoi - Vietnamese police have arrested four fishermen for killing an oyster diver while illegally fishing with explosives, a police official said Wednesday.

Nguyen Ngoc Liem, head of the Phu Cu District police department in the central province of Binh Dinh, said the fishermen were on their boat Monday morning when they spotted bubbles and movement in the water.

Assuming he had spotted a large fish, the boat's senior fisherman packed a small can with explosives and tossed it overboard. When he jumped into the water to harvest the fish, he instead found the body of a man who had been diving for shellfish.

The fishermen attempted to flee but were captured by coast guards who responded to the sound of the explosion.

Fishing with explosives is a widespread but illegal practice in Vietnam. Wildlife experts say it severely damages marine ecology.

Liem said similar cases of accidental death due to explosive fishing had occurred in other provinces in the past.

He said the men would be charged with the killing, as well as with illegal use of explosives and destroying aquatic resources. (dpa)