ninemsn - Russian fishermen are demanding an investigation into a mysterious "lake monster" they claim has snatched 19 missing anglers.
People who claim to have seen the creature in Lake Chany have described it as "snake-like" and said it has a long neck, similar to Scotland's famous Loch Ness monster, the UK's Daily Mail reports.
According to others, the creature, dubbed Nesski, has fins and a huge tail.
Last week, a 59-year-man went missing from the lake under mysterious circumstances.
Local resident Vladimir Golishev, said he saw the fisherman being pulled into the water.
"I was with my friend ... some 300 yards from the shore," he was quoted by the Daily Mail as saying.
"He had something huge on his bait, and he stood up in the boat to reel it in.
"But it pulled with such force that he overturned the boat. I was in shock- I had never seen anything like it in my life."
The fisherman's body has not yet been found and his death has renewed calls for an investigation into if a creature lurks beneath the surface of the water.
According to official figures 19 people have drowned in the lake in the past year. Most of their remains have not been found.
LAKE CHANY FACTS - from the Russian government
Chany Lake is 770 miles long and is sited in the central Barabinsk steppe region of West Siberia. This lake is counted amongst the largest freshwater lakes of Russia. Chany Lake is not very deep and its water level fluctuates in different seasons.
Chany Lake covers an area around 1500 square kilometers and is bounded by salty marshes, steppe forests of aspen and birch and wetlands. The area around this lake is very significant for the birds that migrate from Siberia. The region is also known for the wide range of biodiversity conserved here.
Due to its small depth, the water level of Chany Lake keeps on fluctuating from season to season. At times, the water level goes so high that it overflows and fills the neighboring salty lakes. Sometimes, the water of Chany Lake also flows into River Irtysh.
The lake is a perfect venue for birdwatchers. Being an important destination of migratory birds, one can catch the likes of black-winged pratincole, great black-headed gull, Asian dowitcher, Osprey, Saker Falcon, Slender-billed Curlew, Golden Eagle, Pied Avocet and white-feathered duck.
Russian Fishermen Claim Deadly Monster Roams Western Siberian Lake
