Pollution: thousands of dead fish in a river on the border between Germany and Poland

Seen from the sky, the river Oder, in Germany, seems very calm. But closer, it’s a sight of desolation. dead fish float all along. The disaster affects Germany and Poland, because the Oder river crosses the two countries. The river originates in Poland, where the first dead animals were detected on July 28.

The reason for the tragedy is still unknown, but the first samples taken from the river show the presence of mercury. Authorities in both countries suspect water poisoning. “It is a human who is the cause of this fire. It is either irresponsibility or illegal discharge of certain waste water”, affirms Maciej Wasik, Deputy Interior Minister of Poland. The Polish government has mobilized the military to try to contain the dead fish that are drifting in the river. It also offers a bonus of 210,000 euros to whoever finds the author of the pollution.