A large quantity of dead fish has washed up on the shore of Lake Qaraoun on the Litani river in Lebanon.
As a local activist named Ahmad Askar has explained, this phenomenon emerged "several days ago."
"The fish started floating up, and in abnormal quantities...It's unacceptable," he said.
According to Reuters, some 40 tonnes of fish have turned up dead in a few days, with Askar and the fishermen in Qaraoun describing these figures as unprecedented.
While this disaster is apparently being blamed on polluted waters, the local river authority said that the fish were toxic and carried a virus, and urged people to refrain from fishing along the river due to "an aggravated disaster that threatens public health," the media outlet adds.
While the smell from the decaying fish remains spreads to a nearby village, volunteers have moved to remove the rotting carcasses.
