"River Turns Blood-Red"...Chinese Authorities Launch Investigation as Controversy Grows

Controversy Sparked by Informant's Video

"Pigment Leaked Due to Broken Container"

China Launches Emergency Purification Efforts

Authorities in China have launched an investigation after images of a river turned blood-red were made public, sparking controversy.

On June 23, Daxing News in China reported, "Authorities have begun an investigation after receiving a report from a netizen that a river in Bowang District, Ma'anshan City, Anhui Province, had turned blood-red." The report stated, "The cause was the rupture of a pigment container."

A Chinese netizen captured and shared a photo of a river dyed red. Baidu China.

The video released by the whistleblower shows a river, several dozen meters wide, extensively dyed red with no visible end in sight. The whistleblower said, "I witnessed the river turning red around 8 a.m. It was at its reddest around 9 a.m., and the situation seemed so severe that I decided to report it."

As the controversy spread, Chinese authorities immediately launched an investigation and identified the cause of the river turning red. A component of a red water-based pigment storage container, which had been left outdoors by a nearby packaging manufacturer, broke. As a result, the pigment inside leaked directly into the river through a rainwater drainage pipe.

The authorities stated, "The main reason why several thousand meters of the river turned blood-red appears to be the presence of iron ions contained in the product."

Currently, authorities have urgently closed the downstream sluice gates to prevent further pollution. They have also constructed a dam to physically block the spread of contaminated water. In addition, emergency purification is underway, including the use of activated carbon to absorb pollutants. The authorities announced, "We have commissioned a professional testing agency to analyze water quality samples," and added, "We will take follow-up measures as soon as the results of the detailed analysis are available."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.