Whirlpool
Image Courtesy: Youtube/Jānis Astičs

A YouTube video of a huge whirlpool that appeared in a river in the Baltic state of Latvia has gone viral, garnering more than nine million hits in just three days.

In the seven-minute-long video uploaded by YouTube account holder Jānis Astičs, a mysterious whirlpool in the Latvian river can be seen devouring everything that comes its way.

The phenomenon looks as if a "plug has been pulled from the ground beneath", according to the description on YouTube.

Astičs recorded the video while hiking through the woods in Dviete Parish, Latvia, Viral Viral Video reports.

Huge blocks of ice, mud, tree trunks and boulders are seen being swallowed into the mysterious whirlpool before disappearing underneath the surface of the water.

The videos have got viewers perplexed.

"How the f***?! And where are those things going?" a YouTube user commented on the video.

"How many times did I tell you not to divide by zero?" joked another.

However, some viewers have suggested that the whirlpool is in fact an underwater sinkhole.

According to Encyclopedia.com, whirlpools in an ocean, river, or lake can be caused due to the configuration of the shore, irregularities in the bottom of the body of water, the meeting of opposing currents or tides, or simply because of the action of the wind upon the water.

While most whirlpools are not very powerful, the ones which are potent are called maelstroms. A whirlpool may even be called a vortex if has a downdraft.

Check out the video of what seems like an endless whirlpool below:

(Video courtesy: Youtube/Jānis Astičs)