When the Jian River Ran Red

The Jian River, in and of itself, is not bizarre. It is just like any other river that flows on this planet. It is subject to pollution; it can change with the landscape and can also change due to weather. However, when the river turned red in December of 2011, it became like something out of hell. The color was not just red; it was a deep red reminiscent of blood. It understandably freaked out people who lived in its vicinity in Luoyang, China.

Authorities immediately began looking for the source of the problem. It was clearly not environmental. It turns out, it was red dye being dumped by two illegal factories in the city. Police raided the factories and shut them down when it became clear that the factories were indeed the problem. They were not dumping the dye directly into the river, but rather dumping them into the city's storm drain system, which, in turn, flows into the river. This was also illegal, but the factories themselves appeared to be running under the radar, as it was.

The river has apparently since returned to normal, though reports of it have tapered off since the original sensational story of the river turning blood red hit. Regardless, the images of a blood red Jian River will be remembered for a long time to come.

Click here for an image of the event.