A river turning red caused panic in Lebanon’s city of Zahle after photos of the mysterious dye went viral of social media.

Berdawni River turned red, for what was originally thought to be under mysterious circumstances over the weekend, with many believing this was a result of accumulation of pollution from residents in the area, reports the Albawaba.

The Mayor of Hzarta denied the town was the source of the pollution, and claimed the source of the discolouration was a chocolate factory, according to state-run National News Agency.

He said some of the waste from the factory in a nearby village was dumped at the entrance of the local Hzarta landfill, which caused the river to turn dark red.

Two people were arrested for the contamination of the river on Monday, sources told Lebanon’s Daily Star newspaper.

The Environment Ministry said in a statement it would ‘take the maximum action against anyone who caused or contributed to this pollution.’

Lebanon was hit by an ongoing waste crisis after the country's largest landfill in Naameh shut down in July 2015.
Public anger about the growing public health hazard exploded in a series of angry street protests backed by the ‘You Stink’ campaign, a movement to expose government corruption and police violence.
The country's already poor infrastructure has been further burdened by the influx of more than 1.1 million Syrian refugees, boosting Lebanon's population by more than 25 percent.