A body has been found in the Baltic Sea which may belong to missing journalist Kim Wall.

UPDATE: The bizarre disappearance of Swedish journalist Kim Wall has taken a turn, with the head of the Danish police investigation announcing a female’s body has been discovered in the Baltic Sea.

The body, which is without a head, legs and arms, is said to have been found by a member of the public, Jens Moller Jensen said.

“We have recovered the body … It is the torso of a woman,” Jensen told media, conceding it’s too early to know for sure if the body is Ms Wall’s. “An inquest will be conducted.”

EARLIER: An eccentric inventor charged with killing Swedish journalist Kim Wall has said the 30-year-old died while on board his homemade submarine.

Wall was last seen around 7pm on Thursday, August 10, when she boarded the vessel built by Danish inventor Peter Madsen.

The freelance journalist was there to interview Madsen about his 18-metre long sub, and his company’s plans to be the first to launch a human being into space in an amateur-built rocket.

The next afternoon, Madsen was saved from his sinking vessel after a “minor problem with a ballast tank”. Kim Wall was nowhere to be found.

My friend Kim Wall has gone missing on Friday in Copenhagen. If you have any info please contact Danish police. https://t.co/SUv0N3JjHY pic.twitter.com/3e9ScqX6W4

— Marie Telling (@MarieTelling) August 11, 2017

Madsen, 46, claimed he had dropped the journalist back to shore around 10:30pm on Thursday night, but her boyfriend alerted police that she hadn’t returned.

A large-scale air, land and sea search was unable to find any trace of the missing woman, and on Saturday, Madsen was charged with her manslaughter.

Now, the inventor has said the journalist died "in an accident" on board his submarine, and he had buried her at sea.

"The accused has told police and the court that an accident occurred on board the submarine which caused Kim Wall's death, and that he subsequently buried her at sea at an unspecified location somewhere in Køge Bay," a police statement given to The Local said.

"Copenhagen Police can additionally confirm that the current charges remain in place. No further information will be given with regard to the investigation of the case, since it is being conducted behind closed doors."

Danish and Swedish maritime authorities are now using divers, sonar and helicopters to search for Ms Wall's body.

With AAP.