Illusion or Reality? The Floating Skeleton Mystery

This week, a significant stir swept through the residents of Gravesend, England, after several locals identified what they thought was a human skeleton floating in the River Thames, which eventually washed up on shore. Spotting a floating skeleton is terrifying enough as it is, but when murky waters and muddy banks add to the scene, the result is a truly 'breathtaking' discovery, albeit not in a positive way.

However, a second, more thorough examination of the scene yielded entirely different results: two bent sticks and an additional round piece that came together to create the optical illusion of a corpse floating in the river. The way and the angle at which the sticks were positioned gave the appearance of a body with bent knees, and the tangled ropes resembled ribs and a skull.

"It genuinely looked like a grim skeleton," recalled photographer Rob Powell, who was present at the scene at the time and quickly captured the supposed body with his camera. "I hurried to take the pictures, as it's not something you typically see on a riverbank. It was only when I got closer that I realized it was metal and old ropes."

River Thames, where the 'skeleton' was found floating

The floating skeleton, which turned out to be a jumble of metals and ropes

Residents of Gravesend: Next time think carefully before calling the police