Police have launched an investigation after a human skull and bones were found on a beach in Spain.
The bizarre discovery was made by a family who were bathing on Arenas Blancas in El Hierro, the Canary Islands, on Saturday (18 July).
According to reports, not long after arriving at the beach, one of the family members dug the bones out from beneath their towel after becoming uncomfortable.
Advert
Speaking about the story, Guacimara Gonzalez, whose brother Joel called police after unearthing the bones, said at first the family thought they belonged to an animal.
He told local press: "We were on the beach as a family when Joel felt something bothering him underneath his towel.
"He thought it was some kind of shell and began to dig into the sand with his hands.
"He dug up a jaw and thinking it was some kind of animal began pulling out other bones, until we realised when we came across the skull that it was human.
Advert
"There were also remains of charcoal. We got frightened and called the police."
Following forensic analysis by the police, it has been confirmed that the remains are, in fact, human, though officials are yet to confirm whether they belonged to a man or a woman.
This isn't the first time in recent weeks that people have made a gruesome discovery while out at the beach.
Last month, TikTok users found a suitcase containing human remains have uploaded the moment to the social media platform.
Advert
The teens found the suitcase on a beach in Seattle, with the city's police department confirming that they are investigating the incident.
Two items of luggage were discovered, with the video above showing them filled with black bin bags. They were taken there after using an app called Randonautica, which directs users to a randomly generated set of co-ordinates.
The people who found the bag could be seen opening it, joking that they could have found money, but their excitement soon turns to fear as they realise from the smell what they must have found.
The video footage showed the terrifying encounter, which took place at Duwamish Head in the Washington State city.
Advert
They only realised it was actually a dead body when police posted the news online - they had been seen driving past the 'crime scene' after finding the case.
Sharing on TikTok, UghHenry wrote: "Something traumatic happened that changed my life."
It went on to explain: "We found this black suitcase. We were joking that maybe the suitcase would have money...[But] the smell was overwhelming."
Featured Image Credit: Solarpix