Authorities in China's Qinghai Province announced today that it has pulled out at least 170 dead pigs from the Xining section of Huangshui River, following last month's discovery of 130 dead pigs in Jiangxi.

The dead pigs were discovered by locals last week in Huangshui River, which is a tributary of the Yellow River, and initial autopsy results showed no sign of the infectious disease called zoonosis.

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The Provincial Government of northwest China's Qinghai said further tests will be conducted by the local center of animal disease and control and prevention to determine the real cause of the pigs' death.

Authorities are also conducting water sampling to determine presence of bacteria as a result of the dumping of the dead pigs. Huangshui is a major irrigation water source for Qinghai and other nearby regions.

Investigation was also launched to determine those responsible for dumping the dead pigs in the river. The dead pigs have been disposed off safely.

Last month, Jiangxi Province officials said 130 dead pigs were retrieved from Ganjiang River, a major source of drinking water to Nanchang City, the province's capital.

The dead pigs were believed to have been carried by the river current from the upper part of the river. Ganjiang River is also a major tributary of the Yangtze River.

The Nanchang City water authority said the dead pigs were found in a section of the Ganjiang River, which spans 758 kilometers.

The water authority, however, said tap water remains safe for drinking based on the result of the water examinations.

The biggest number of dead pigs discovered was in March 2013, when locals found thousands of dead pigs dumped in the Huangpu River in Shanghai. Authorities believed the dead pigs came from Jiaxing, which is located on the upper reaches of the Huangpu River.