Toxic algae found after fish deaths

By Our Special Correspondent

A toxic alga has been found in samples from the Oder River, where huge masses of dead fish have sparked concerns of an environmental disaster, Poland and Germany said on Monday.

More than 100 tones (220,000 pounds) of dead fish have been recovered since July from the river which flows through both countries since July, sparking tensions after Berlin accused Warsaw of failing to communicate the disaster and act quickly enough.

"The examinations conducted so far have confirmed the presence of toxic algae (Prymnesium Parvum)," Polish deputy environment minister Jacek Ozdoba wrote on Twitter. Meanwhile, German environment ministry spokesman Andreas Kuebler told reporters "a mass development of toxic brackish water algae could have contributed to the fish deaths". However, the formation of such algae is "not a purely natural phenomenon" and "does not occur to this extent... under natural conditions," Kuebler added, referencing the latest lab results from Germany's Leibniz Institute and the University of Vienna.