Meeting point: A ship sails across the junction of the polluted Yangtze River (left) and the Jialin River in Chongqing, China, yesterday

Shock: The Yangtze river, which runs through the city in south-western China, turned a bright shade of orange-red yesterday

Dirty/clean: A ship sails across the junction of the Yangtze River and the Jialin River at the exact spot where the dyed river starts to bleed into the Jialin

In the thick of it: A fisherman goes about his daily business

While officials investigate the cause of the colouring, one fisherman went about his daily business as if nothing had happened.

Others were so amazed that they collected samples in water bottles.

Although the cause is yet to be determined, this is not the first time a river has turned red in China.

Last December, the Jian River in the city of Luoyang, in the north Henan province, turned red after becoming polluted by a powerful dye.

The dye was being dumped into the city's storm drain network by two illegal dye workshops.

Officials raided the factories to shut them down, and then disassembled their machinery.

According to chapter 16, verse 4 of the Bible's book of Revelations, one of the signs that Armageddon is near will be an angel pouring a bowl into the rivers, turning them into blood.

Bizarre: The red river gave Chongqing an apocalyptic appearance yesterday

Check it out! Some residents were so amazed that they collected samples in water bottles

Close-up: Whatever it was that dyed the river was almost orange in colour

Irregular occurrence: A couple make the most of the rare opportunity to get up close to a red river

Thick dye: The Yangtze river washes up on and stains a tiled floor