BEIRUT: Laboratory tests of samples from Beirut River that mysteriously turned red Wednesday have discounted blood as the source of the coloration of the major waterway.

Beirut River mysteriously turned blood red Wednesday after a stream of unidentified red liquid began pouring from the southern bank of the river in Furn al-Shubbak.

The environment minister was informed Thursday that test results at the central Hadath laboratory have come out negative for traces of blood.

However, due to technical limitations at the Hadath lab, the samples have been sent to labs at the American University of Beirut where tests, which could take up to a week, will help determine whether the source of the red coloration is industrial or organic.

Government and local officials had rushed to the scene at the Chevrolet crossing of Furn al-Shubbak Wednesday morning in an attempt to locate the sewage canal that was dumping the red-colored water but they were unable to locate the source.

Accusations have been traded among officials from the municipalities of Hadath, Hazmieh, Sin al-Fil, Furn al-Shubbak and Shiyah over the source of the effluvium.

Environment Minister Nazem Khoury has said that the source of the water was likely from Hazmieh or Baabda.

Security sources said once the tests on the samples were completed, police could use the results to aid them in the search for the source of the colored water.

Eyewitnesses working in the area told The Daily Star Wednesday this was not the first time the river had turned a different color.

Several business owners around the Chevrolet crossing said that colored water pours into the river roughly every two months but no one pays attention to it.

It was the quantity and brightness of the red liquid that grabbed the attention of many passersby and commuters on different bridges in the city Wednesday.