Around 1,000 dead ducks have been pulled from a river in southwest China, local officials say.
中国西南部的四川省当地政府称，从当地河道中打捞上来约有一千只死鸭。
Residents found the dead ducks in Nanhe river in Pengshan county, Sichuan province, and alerted the environmental department, they said.
地方官员表示，四川眉山市彭山县居民在南河河道发现死鸭后，通知了环境部门。
Local residents and livestock were not at risk as the river was not used for drinking water, officials added.
官员们补充说，由于该河并不用来取水饮用，所以死鸭事件对当地人畜饮水不构成威胁。
The news comes as the toll of dead pigs pulled from Shanghai's Huangpu river passed 16,000.
而在四川死鸭事件之前，上海黄浦江爆出了打捞出逾16,000只死猪的事件。
Speaking in an interview with China National Radio on Sunday, Liang Weidong, a deputy director in Pengshan's publicity department, said that the authorities were first made aware of the ducks on Tuesday.
在周日接受中国国际广播的采访中，彭山县宣传部外宣办副主任梁卫东说，有关部门在上周四最早知晓这一死鸭事件。
Officials discovered over 50 woven bags which contained the carcasses of around 1,000 ducks in the river.
行政官员在南河里找到装有死鸭的编制袋50多个，共装有上千只死鸭尸体。
They were unable to determine the cause of death as some of the ducks were already decomposed, Mr Liang said, adding that the bodies had been disinfected and buried.
由于尸体开始腐烂，他们没法确定鸭子的死因。梁卫东还补充说明，这些尸体经过消毒处理已经掩埋。
An initial investigation suggested that the duck corpses had originated from upstream and were not dumped by local Pengshan farmers, he said.
初步调查显示，鸭子尸体来自河流上游，尸体丢弃行为并不是彭山县农民所为。
The news has prompted concern and criticism from some users on weibo, China's version of Twitter, with many expressing incredulity at the government's assurance that the water is safe.
新闻一公布，即引起微博用户的关注和争论。不少人对官方保证水源安全的说法表示怀疑。
"Dead pigs, dead ducks... this soup is getting thicker and thicker," wrote one person with the username Baby Lucky.
“死猪，死鸭……这汤水是越来越重口了”，昵称为“宝贝幸运儿”的网友这样写道。
