Lake in Switzerland is suddenly blood red – police warn and advise “caution”

Created: 12/26/2022, 6:22 p.m

By: Nadja Zinsmeister

Lake Zug in central Switzerland is covered with a blood-red veil.

© Screenshot Twitter @ZugerPolizei

The surface of Lake Zug in central Switzerland suddenly shimmers dark red.

Now the police are explaining the phenomenon and advising caution. 

Zug – At Lake Zug in the Central Switzerland region, there was an almost creepy sight on Christmas Day.

The surface of the water there shimmers dark red - comparable to red paint that has been spilled or even blood that covers the lake in some places.

Lake in Switzerland is suddenly blood red – police advise caution

According to the Zug police, there is a plausible explanation for the strange sight.

"It's not about water pollution, but about the Burgundy blood algae," the officials inform the affected region on Twitter and publish a photo of the dark red-soaked lake.

The algae in Lake Zug are not entirely harmless, the police say.

"According to the experts, depending on the concentration, these algae can be dangerous for animals - so be careful."

But how dangerous is the algae really?

The

observed the phenomenon two years ago and asked a surface water specialist about the Burgundy blood algae.

At the time, he told the newspaper: "The toxins are mainly in the algae, they don't normally release them into the water.

You have to swallow or drink them so that it can actually become dangerous.” The explanation would in turn suggest that the algae pose a particular risk to animals, as they could drink from the lake.

The phenomenon of the Burgundy blood algae occurs again and again in several lakes.

In the summer of this year, for example, a hiker discovered a bright red lake in Bad Tölz.

In contrast to Lake Zug in Switzerland, however, the entire surface of Bad Tölz lit up red.

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