- The shark was spotted on Monday on the beach of Porto de Bares in La Coruña
A three-metre shark has caused panic among sunbathers on a busy Spanish beach after approaching the shore as they were cooling off in the sea.
Tourists and locals flocked to the safety of the sand before taking videos of the large fish gliding through the turquoise blue water.
But despite being just inches away from the creature, they needn’t have worried as it was later identified as a harmless basking shark, an endangered species.
The tragedy occurred shortly after 5pm on Monday on Porto de Bares beach, near the town of Mañón, in the Galician province of La Coruña.
Local mayor Alfredo Dovale said he did not recall seeing a shark of its kind so close to shore and said he thought it was linked to higher water temperatures.
A shark has caused panic among sunbathers on a crowded beach in La Coruña, Spain, after coming close to the shore.
Tourists and locals made their way to the safety of the sand before taking videos of the big fish.
Bathers can be seen watching the shark in amazement and taking videos from the shore.
He added: “The way he was moving, he looked disoriented or even sick.”
It was sighted again on Tuesday but further from the coast.
Late last month, a 24-foot basking shark, the second-largest shark species, washed up on a beach in the Scottish village of Maidens in Ayrshire.
They had to bring in a forklift to get him off the beach. He had a rope caught between his mouth and his tail.
Earlier this week, scientists captured the shocking moment a boat collided with a basking shark off the coast of County Kerry, Ireland, hours after it had been tagged.
The animal was identified as a harmless basking shark, an endangered species.
Researchers later said they believed it was the first video of a shark or other large marine animal being hit by a boat.
It is unclear whether the 22-foot-long female recovered from the impact.
Blue sharks, which rarely bite humans but have been implicated in several biting incidents, have forced the temporary closure of beaches on the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca in recent years.
In May, coastguards raised the red flag and called the Spanish equivalent of 999 after the telltale fin of a two-metre blue shark was spotted above the waterline at the popular Menorcan beach of Arenal d’en Castell.
The following month, Gran Canaria’s tourist beaches were closed after a hammerhead shark was sighted near the coast.
Most hammerhead shark species are considered harmless to humans and few attacks have been recorded, but they are aggressive hunters and their size and ferocity make them potentially harmful.
(tags to translate)dailymail
