sb.scorecardresearch

Published 19:13 IST, July 17th 2020

Shark spotted in Thames River near London Eye? Know truth behind viral pictures

There have been speculations that there might be sharks on the prowl at River Thames. The sighting came out just one day after a man claimed to have seen a fin.

Reported by: Akanksha Arora
Follow: Google News Icon
  • share
Shark
null | Image: self

There have been speculations that there might be sharks on the prowl at River Thames. The sighting came out just one day after a man claimed to have seen a mysterious fin spiralling above the water in West London. John Hucknall, 23, who sighted the shark on his way to work, reportedly said that he and his friend were running Hammerswitch way by the river when they saw this "thing sticking out of water".

He reportedly said that it looked like a big old shark. He added that people came forward on social media to express their concern. Eyewitness Yasmin Dan, tweeted: “Walked through central today and looked in the river..is that a shark is the Thames??!”  To this, one Twitter user responded, "Wow you can clearly see its fin #riverthamesshark." Many others, who happened to have spot the same 'fin', posted pictures to claim there was a shark. 

Read: Mike Tyson prepares to fight a shark.

Authorities deny presence of any animal 

While many claimed to have spotted a fin and the reports spread like wildlife, authorities reportedly denied the presence of any animal in Thame. A spokesperson for the Port of London Authority was not able to confirm what exactly the object was but said it was unlikely to be a shark, as per international reports. He further reportedly said that the photos are not very clear adding that the dark object could be anything, "a piece of debris or driftwood". The official reportedly said that none of the team members reported the presence on any animal in the river.

The spokesperson reportedly said that his team was unable to give a definitive view either way from that photo. He further requested people to alert authorities if anyone spots anything similar. A Shark is very unlikely though species like the dog, fish and smoothhound have been seen in the Thames Estuary, reports suggest.

Also Read: Teenage surfer killed by shark; Second incidence in one week

Read: Shark attack; Scuba Diver killed in Australia

Updated 19:13 IST, July 17th 2020