Typically we expect waterways to have at least semi-clear water. A river in Wenzhou, China however drastically changed to a sinister red color. Locals who live near the roughly 1,150-foot long river woke up to find the water turned to a deep blood red hue.

Around the world, human and industrial pollutants are increasingly affecting rivers and oceans.

A river in Wenzhou, China has drastically changed in color. Locals who live near the roughly 1150-foot long river woke up to find the water had turned a deep blood red hue.

The night before, everything looked normal. One villager claimed the river was perfectly fine at 4 A.M. but about an hour later, red color started seeping through.

There are no chemical factories in the vicinity, and no odor was detected. Residents have been left wondering how such a thing could happen.

Aside from a nearby market, a few private homes and some scattered garbage, little else surrounds the river.

Locals claim nothing like this has ever happened before. The water turned back to its normal color not long after the bizarre occurrence.

The environmental department has launched an investigation into the red river. Thus far, no evidence of industrial pollution has surfaced. Experts suspect the color change is a result of people dumping red pollutants into the river.

This isn’t the first time a Chinese river has turned red. Back in 2012, the Yangtze River turned to a bloody hue. Experts were able to rule out both sewage and pollution as contributing factors.