Unknown perpetrators dumped blood into the Danube, E. coli bacteria found

The red substance released into the Danube on Friday is blood, according to the official report of the Institute of Public Health of Vojvodina, Department of Hygiene and Ecology, Blic.rs reports, as carried by the Bosnian news agency Patria.

The substance contained a large amount of erythrocytes and leukocytes, i.e., blood. According to the report, the sampled water showed a noticeable color change to pale pink, with a characteristic smell of organic decomposition products and the presence of visible waste materials. A large amount of bacteria was also found in the water, mostly E. coli, but the water tested negative for chemicals such as pesticides, hydrocarbons, arsenic, lead, chromium, copper, nickel, cyanide...

Workers from the "Water Supply and Sewerage" company inspected the shafts of three meat processing firms, but nothing indicates that any of them released blood into the Danube on Friday.

- On Friday, the shafts of all three meat processing firms suspected of releasing blood into the Danube were inspected. Even then, there were no traces of blood. We know that one company is known for releasing blood into the Danube, but no traces were found in their shaft either that would indicate they are responsible for the incident that occurred on Friday - says a source close to the investigation for "Blic".

According to unofficial information and eyewitness accounts, similar situations have occurred before, with some slaughterhouses releasing larger amounts of blood into the river, but until Friday's incident, no authorities had reacted.