The water in Venice's main Grand Canal, near the Rialto Bridge, has turned fluorescent green and authorities are working to discover the cause of the unusual phenomenon, which green activists may be responsible for.

The regional environmental protection agency took water samples and is working to identify the substance that changed the color, the agency announced on Twitter.

The prefect of Venice called an emergency meeting of the police force to find out what had happened and to suggest possible countermeasures

😱😱😱😱😳😡ACQUA FOSFORESCENTE A VENEZIA (Fonte: Gazzettino)

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ki, Ansa agency reported.

The incident is reminiscent of recent events in Italy when environmental groups painted them the monuments. In the latest such incident, activists darkened the water of Rome's Trevi Fountain with coal in protest against fossil fuels.

Unlike previous cases, no activist group claimed responsibility for the event in Venice.