Gran Canaria tourist beaches closed as shark is spotted close to shore

Spanish police have closed Melenara beach in Gran Canaria after a hammerhead shark was spotted swimming near the beach.

The local police, Policía Local Telde, has released aerial footage of a hammerhead shark off the coast of Gran Canaria.

The shark was spotted off Melenara beach on Sunday (16 June) with beachgoers told to stay out of the water by police and coastguard.

Policía Local Telde say the video of the three-metre long hammerhead shark was captured by their drone unit as it monitored the coastline.

This was the second shark sighting in as many days. On Saturday, Salinetas beach on Gran Canaria was closed by authorities after a fin was spotted in the water close to shore.

According to the International Shark Attack File, humans have been attacked by hammerhead sharks 17 times. No human fatalities have been recorded.