Polish firefighters declared on Tuesday that they had removed more than 100 tons of dead fish from the Oder River (which forms the border between Poland and Germany), raising suspicions of a toxic spill.
"We have never had an operation like this on a river"Monika Nowakowska-Drynda, from the communication department of the fire services, told AFP.
This same source confirmed that they had removed from the river, since Monday, about 100 tons of dead fish.
The cause of death is unknown, but authorities suspect it was due to chemical spills.
"Probably huge amounts of chemical waste were dumped into the river, with full awareness of the risk and consequences"Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki declared last week.
Both Poland and Germany had water samples tested.
The first to sound the alarm were thes fishermen and residents of the Polish area, on July 28.
German officials, surprised by the mass arrival of these animalsreproached the Polish authorities for not having warned.
In Poland, the right-wing populist government has been criticized for not acting sooner.
The Oder had in recent years the reputation of being a clean river, where about 40 species of fish lived.
