Russian Arctic river mysteriously turns blood-red

A river outside Russia’s Arctic city of Norilsk has inexplicably turned blood-red, puzzling locals and prompting authorities to launch an investigation into the cause of the anomaly.

The Daldykan River near Norilsk in Siberia lost its natural color on Tuesday. Look at these jaw-dropping images of the crimson river:

So what is behind this mysterious blood red color of the Daldykan River?

Is a new episode of The Crimson Rivers being filmed in the area? Could this strange phenomenon reflect the erosion of subsurface rock formations consisting mostly of nickel and copper? Or is it a giant mining plant in the area?

There are existing reports of river pollution “with an unidentified chemical substance,” most probably from the world’s largest producer of nickel and palladium, the Norilsk Nickel plant.

Of course the company denies any leakage or accidental discharge of industrial waste into the Daldykan River.

But the plant will temporarily lower its operational capacity and monitor the state of the environment around the facility and in the affected area of the river.

A state of emergency has not been declared, according to Norilsk mayor’s office, as the river does not contribute to the city’s water supply.

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