Local villagers shocked by red river

Local villagers were shocked when they found a river in South Bontang, East Kalimantan, turned blood red.

According to reports by KOMPAS.com, the mysterious red water incident started last Tuesday.

The police and local residents initially suspected the sudden change in the colour of the water, to be caused by the disposal of paint or colouring.

However, the police have investigated three suspects and found that the shocking colour was caused by the cleaning of waste bins containing organic colouring.

According to Bontang police, AKBP Heri Sasangka, five 200 litre bins have been confiscated and the three suspects have been released after being interrogated.

The police have also sent a sample of the contaminated water to be tested.

“If the samples contain toxic residue that is dangerous, the case will be investigated further,” said Heri.

He added that the test results will be released in two to three days.

The river has reported to have returned to normal, but local residents are still reeling from the experience.