River in Argentina turns bright red

A river in a suburb of Buenos Aires in Argentina has turned red, sparking concern among residents.

Footage and images of the Sarandi watercourse – which flows into the Rio de la Plata estuary – show the sudden change in colour.

It is not the first time it has changed colour, according to local media reports, with residents raising fears of contamination.

“I have lived here all my life. Today, we have this red water. It has been grey, it has been green, it has been violet, bluish… very brown,” one resident told La Nacion.

“On other days we have a thick yellow layer that left the top hard and had an acidic smell,” another local told Pagina 12.

Officials have been to the site to take away samples of the red water for testing.

The region’s environment ministry told La Nacion samples of the water would be analysed to find out what “is causing the discolouration”.