Japanese Whaling Crew 'Eaten Alive by Killer Whales' Story is Hoax, Twitter Users React Over Fake News

An article circulating online, claiming that a Japanese whaling crew was attacked and eaten alive by killer whales has turned out to be a hoax.

The fake story originated from World News Daily Report, a satirical website.

The bogus report read: "A Japanese whaling crew has fallen victim to a dramatic full-on assault by a school of killer whales, killing no less then 16 crew members and injuring 12, has reported the Japanese Government this morning."

"The crew of the MV Nisshin Maru, Japan's primary whaling vessel and the world's only whaler factory ship, was forced to leave the deck temporarily as a gas leak was detected within the ship's processing factory that resulted in the ship being temporarily disabled all while continuing to carry approximately 1,000 tons of oil."

"The resulting panic lead members of the ship to jump off the boat before proper emergency procedures were taken and lifeboats had been set to sea. The swimming crew members were then ferociously attacked by a school of killer whales, that decimated a large number of the crew within moments," the story went on.

The website stated that the incident took place in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, South Eastern Coast of South Africa.

However, there is no truth in the story, and a disclaimer on the website reads: "World News Daily Report is a news and political satire web publication, which may or may not use real names, often in semi-real or mostly fictitious ways. All news articles contained within worldnewsdailyreport.com are fiction, and presumably fake news."

A few Twitter users believed the fake news report and expressed their thoughts.