A large number of finger-sized dead fish appeared in the Sanya River in Sanya, South China's Hainan province on Mar 3. [Photo/IC]

A large number of finger-sized dead fish appeared in Sanya River in Sanya, South China's Hainan province, attracting many hungry egrets on Tuesday, dfic.cn reported.

According to a cleaner, the dead fish appeared on Monday and their numbers are growing. The phenomenon, which was also observed last year, will probably go away in a few days.

The fish died of oxygen deficiency due to climate change, said the director of the office of biological monitoring of water quality at the Sanya environmental supervision station. Sanya River saw dead fish floating in its waters every year from March to May.

Egrets are attracted by the dead fish. [Photo/IC]