Loch Ness monster sightings reported after biggest search in years

Drumnadrochit, Scotland - The biggest search in decades for the Loch Ness monster ended with several reports of possible sightings – but still no proof the mythical Scottish creature is real.

The biggest organized search for the mythical Loch Ness monster took place over the weekend, with hundreds of volunteers participating in person or virtually.
The biggest organized search for the mythical Loch Ness monster took place over the weekend, with hundreds of volunteers participating in person or virtually.  © ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP

Project leader Alan McKenna said he had received a number of videos and tips via people watching livestreaming cameras aimed at the lake in the Scottish Highlands.

But he said a lot of time would be needed to pour over the data, to sort fact from wishful thinking.

Drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras were still due to soar over Loch Ness, a 750-foot-deep lake, in the evening.

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According to the organizers – the Loch Ness Centre for visitors and enthusiasts from the volunteer group Loch Ness Exploration – the two-day hunt was the most systematic search since 1972 for the elusive (or imagined) monster affectionately named Nessie.

Dozens of volunteers from all over the world positioned themselves at 17 observation posts around the lake, with hundreds of fans of the creature watching Loch Ness via webcams.

McKenna and his team went out on the lake several times and lowered an underwater microphone called a hydrophone.

During a test on Friday, "bizarre sounds" were heard, he said. A check at the same spot on Sunday, however, revealed nothing. It was therefore unclear whether the noises were caused by gases or an animal.

Cover photo: ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP

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