Eerie vortex appears unexpectedly in river
A mysterious bubbly vortex has appeared on the surface of a Chinese river spooking local residents.
The giant whirlpool was spotted by tens of thousands in the city of Hangzhou in eastern China, after suddenly emerging on the Qiantang River.
The spinning river had mysterious white bubbles, which local residents who approached them said did not smell of anything.
The vortex became a trending topic on social media on October 17, but oddly suddenly stopped spinning.
Images of the river showed water continuing to bubble and the white foam spreading across the surface throughout the day, with at least one boat, that appears to be a police vessel, approaching the disturbance to inspect it.
It was later suspected that there had been an underground leak caused by the construction of Hangzhou’s new fifth metro line.
Why a young dad has shared photos of his dead wife and unborn child in a coffin
Bizarre creature with huge head spotted in lake baffles locals
Mum’s warning after night with friends turns into disaster for little girl
However, residents were assured that work was still ongoing and that no leak had been detected.
Several hours after that, however, reports confirmed the vortex was indeed linked to the metro line construction.
The bubbles were reportedly caused by disturbed biogas underground coupled with lubricant used on a tunnelling shield.
Officials said the chemical agents used for lubrication were not harmful to the environment.
“I’m disappointed it wasn’t a river monster,” Weibo user ‘3NOshan’ said.
Hangzhou Metro’s Line 5 is expected to be operational by late 2019.
– Australscope
