SHANGHAI – Thousands of dead pigs have been found in a river that runs through the heart of Shanghai, sparking panic about the cleanliness of the city’s drinking water.
According to state news agency Xinhua, officials are advising residents to drink bottled water. Stores have been swamped causing Black Friday-like riots as people rush to stock up.
Xinhua reports that Shanghai Waterworks tested the Huangpu River and the city’s water supply, and found both contaminated with porcine circovirus.
According to residents in the Songjiang District where the pigs turned up, this is not the first time dead pigs have come down the river.
Wei Gao, a New York City resident who is staying with family in the Songjiang District, told a reporter that most people are drinking bottled water and staying away from pork dishes at local restaurants. There have been no reports of barbecues.
