Residents in a north-eastern Chinese city have been terrified to find that their tap water could be set alight with a lighter. Shocking fo...
Residents in a north-eastern Chinese city have been terrified to find that their tap water could be set alight with a lighter.
Shocking footage shows the running liquid turning into a blaze after a local put fire under it in Panjin city, Liaoning Province.
The Panjin authorities claimed today that the incident was a result of natural gas leaking into the groundwater, which was supplied to the local village.
Shocking footage shows the running liquid turning into a blaze after it was set on fire with a lighter by a local in Panjin city, Liaoning Province. The Panjin authorities claimed today that the incident was a result of natural gas leaking into the groundwater supplied to the village
The incident came to light after Ms Wen, who lives in a local village, recently shared the video online, adding that her family had been troubled by the issue 'for three to four years'.
In the short clip, a person can be seen holding a lighter next to the running water which then suddenly turned into a minor blaze in the bathroom sink.
Speaking to a reporter from Cover News, Ms Wen said that her family had been using the inflammable water 'for three to four years'.
'It's been a very long time,' she said. 'After washing our hands or dishes [with the water], our hands wouldn't feel dry. They feel slippery and we can't wash it off.'
When the woman's father complained about the issue with the local water supply company in the summer, the staff told the family that 'it was out of their hand', according to Ms Wen.
She added that over 100 families in her village had been living with the same problem.
The incident came to light after Ms Wen, who lives in a local village, recently shared the video online, adding that her family had been troubled by the issue 'for three to four years'
The footage quickly attracted nationwide attention online after being reported by several state news outlets including People's Daily and CCTV.
Following the viral video, the local authorities issued a statement on Sunday, saying that they had temporarily switched the water source for the affected neighbourhood while investigating the matter.
On Monday, the officials stated that the inflammable tap water was caused by 'a small amount of natural gas leaking into the groundwater', citing experts.
'The water source for the Siying Village, where the residents live, is supplied with deep groundwater,' an updated statement read.
'After a small amount of natural gas leaked into the water layer, the natural gas was brought to the ground during the water extraction process.'
Although the villagers claimed that the issue had long existed, the authorities insisted that they had only recently started supplying the groundwater during a renovation of the local water station.
The government also pledged that they would hold relevant staff responsible for the incident.