Giant swastika spotted in Brazil swimming pool

Police in Brazil flying over a private estate have found a massive swastika decorating the bottom of a swimming pool.

The officers were conducting helicopter sweeps as part of an anti-kidnapping operation when they spotted the Nazi symbol by chance in the town of Pomerode, a stronghold of German culture in the southern state of Santa Catarina, CNN reports.

Police investigated and found the swastika was installed 13 years ago.

They also interviewed the estate's owner, who claimed he was not promoting Nazism.

The owner, who has not been publicly identified, is not expected to face any charges because the pool is on private property.

Brazil was a popular destination after WWII for Nazis fleeing prosecution, including the notorious Auschwitz doctor Josef Mengele accused of performing horrific human experiments, who died there in 1979.

Santa Catarina has a large population of Germans and Austrians dating back to the 19th Century. In Pomerode, around 90 percent of the population is of German-Brazilian descent.