A mysterious ‘black ring’ has been spotted floating in the sky over the coast of a holiday hotspot.
The eerie ‘UFO’ was seen hovering over jagged rocks for around five minutes.
It then vanished into thin air.
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Images of the phenomenon quickly circulated online, leaving locals baffled as to what it could be.
One video went viral on TikTok with over 200,000 views and hundreds of comments.
The floating ring was spotted near Tijarafe on the island of La Palma, neighbouring Tenerife in the Canary Islands, on Monday (16 Jun).
One local, named Ana, shared the clip with the message: “My god, what is that?
“Seen today in La Palma.”
“Here on the island, we don’t know how it was formed, but there is a lot of speculation,” Ana, 35, told What’s The Jam.
“At the moment, there hasn’t been any kind of confirmation.”
Another resident, named Severine, said: “It was incredible, I’ve never seen anything like it.
“There was a noise just before it, a boom like an explosion.
“Although it was impressive, it was also unpleasant to see a big dark circle in the sky like that and not know what it was.”
She said it lasted for several minutes before dissipating.
Her friend Sandra added: “I was closer to it than Severine, my neighbour called me when it appeared after an explosion.
“It was very prominent, with fine edges that evaporated in the wind.”
The phenomenon is believed to be a vortex ring, also called a toroidal vortex, which forms when a fluid is ejected from a circular opening with force.
Juan Manuel Hernández, a member of the meteorology enthusiasts group Meteo Isla Bonita, told local media: “The fact that the black smoke takes the shape of a ring suggests there is a toroidal vortex at play.
“The black colour implies high temperatures at the source as well as the burning of carbon-rich materials such as plastics or fuel.”
It could also have been caused by an “explosive event such as a controlled explosion, an ignited gas leak, a car or industrial fire, or a volcanic eruption rich in organic materials”.
However, Juan didn’t rule out the possibility that it was sparked by fireworks.
He added: “Some fireworks, although spectacular at night, leave similar rings when set off during the day when there’s no wind.
“Personally, I think it was caused by pyrotechnics.”
The island of La Palma last hit the headlines in 2021 when the Cumbre Vieja volcanic ridge spewed out lava for 85 consecutive days, prompting the evacuation of around 7,000 people.
In June last year, a similar black ring was spotted in the sky in Valencia, west of Caracas, Venezuela.
The dark circular object was partially concealed inside a wispy cloud in broad daylight.
Many locals thought it was a UFO.
One local remarked: “Finally aliens have visited Venezuela, it’s only been the USA until now!”
Another added: “They’re caused by fumaroles from volcanoes or industrial chimneys.”
Jean wrote: “Everyone knows this is smoke emitted by buses on the motorway.”
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