SHANGHAI, July 9 -- "WATER monsters" appeared in Kanasi Lake in northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region again, Xinhua news agency reported.

The "monsters" created a large wave in the lake about 8:20am on Thursday, and several witnesses recorded them with digital cameras until they disappeared eight minutes later, the report said.

The 15 unidentified objects gathered together for some time, and then scattered to form a line like a fleet of ships, the report said. But they were reportedly much bigger than cruise ships.

Kanasi, the country's deepest alpine lake, is at the center of the Kanasi nature reserve, the only Chinese reserve located in the region bordering Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Russia.

For hundreds of years there have been rumors about mysterious creatures that devour livestock near the 25-kilometer-long and 188-meter-deep lake. Horses, cattle and sheep are said to go missing near the lake every year.

Three tourists also recorded the "lake monsters" in June 2006, but this time the phenomenon lasted even longer.