The daring rescue of a giant shark which washed up on a beach has gone viral online, with the heart-stopping clip watched more than 30 million times.
The video, shared to TikTok by user Jhon, starts by showing the ocean predator writhing around on the sand, surrounded by a shocked crowd of onlookers.
Blood can be seen around the beached shark's mouth, as it snaps its jaws ferociously showing off rows of razor-sharp teeth.
Rather than leave the shark to die on the shore, a group of brave beachgoers attempt to save the creature before it suffocates.
Some four men desperately try and get the fearsome hunter back into the water, as they roll it towards the sea.
The rescuers—dressed in shorts and flip-flops—make sure to keep away from the head as the shark continues to snap its massive jaws.
With time running out the group manage to get the shark to the shallows, before they desperately try dragging it back out to the ocean in a last-ditch attempt to save it.
In a follow-up clip, a trio of men all grab onto the tail as they lug the heavy shark into deeper water.
The video is believed to have been shot in Columbia, and numerous users claimed the beached fish is a bull shark, which appears to be at least five feet long.
Scores of people praised the bystanders for trying to save the shark, with TikToker Salty writing: "That's such a respectable thing to do. I'm sure a lot of people would be too afraid but these people really are amazing."
Dom wrote: "If only there were more people in this world who would help a shark like this."
And Stephen Treacy admitted: "I was waiting for the shark to get ready to head home but then take a thigh or leg with them on the way."
Zubah Warner wrote: "Sharks are dangerous but still doesn't mean we can't help it."
While Boi big dad said: "Idk why people are scared of sharks cause if you do the research more people die from vending machines falling on their head then sharks a year."
The clip ends mid-rescue, although some people claimed that despite the group's valiant efforts, dragging sharks backwards is harmful to them.
Sharks World explained: "Sharks can drown when pulled backward because water gets inside their gills. Sometimes, fishers kill sharks pulling them backward for a while when taking them back to the shore. The process of breathing in a shark is interrupted when pulled backward."
It's not the first time sharks hit the headlines this week, after a group of fishermen were filmed fighting off more than a dozen hungry carnivores off Murray Island, in the Torres Strait.
The video, taken by local woman Philomena Nona, has since amassed more than 1 million views since it was shared over Facebook on March 26.
