Fatal Toxic Sludge Flood Wreaks Havoc in Hungary

(Oct. 5) -- Hungary is in a state of emergency and at least four people have died from a toxic sludge that is flooding the area around Ajka, 100 miles southwest of Budapest. The red mud, which poured out of a containment pond at an aluminum plant, contains heavy metals that are toxic if ingested and that can burn through skin, The Associated Press reports. One man reported that his uncle had been burned "to the bone."

As of this morning, 35.3 million cubic feet of the sludge has leaked across an area that is 15.4 square miles and reaches seven towns. The toxic stream has flowed into the Marcal river, and officials are concerned it will threaten the Raba and the Danube rivers as well. The National Disaster Management Directorate said that hundreds of tons of plaster were being poured into the Marcal river to bind to the sludge to keep it from flowing farther. Environmental Affairs State Secretary Zoltan Illes called the spill an "ecological catastrophe."

The stream of toxic mud was strong enough to move cars in its path and filled one woman's house to a depth of 5 feet. She had to escape through a window and run to higher ground, AP reported.

The four people who died were two women, a young man and a 3-year-old child. Six people are missing, 120 have been injured, and 110 had to be rescued.

The stream of red mud began flowing Monday afternoon after the reservoir in the town of Kolontar burst, according to CNN. Thinking the liquid was just water, residents there rushed into the flood to save their animals, Lajos Németh, 27, told AOL News by phone.

"Then they realized it was toxic and they got hurt and injured and burned," Németh, who lives in Budapest but spoke with friends and family in the area around the spill, said. "Everyone is talking about this issue and I think people are afraid of the pollution, but that's understandable because nobody knows what's inside."


Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said today that the spill could have been caused by a human error, because there were no signs of natural causes, according to Reuters. But the company that owns the aluminum plant, MAL Zrt., has already issued a release absolving itself of responsibility.

"According to the current evaluation, company management could not have noticed the signs of the natural catastrophe nor done anything to prevent it even while carefully respecting technological procedures," the company said in a statement. It also said that the red mud was not considered toxic waste by European standards.

Local environmentalists (and chemical burns) say otherwise. The Clean Air Action Group says that "red sludge is, by volume, the largest amount of toxic waste in Hungary."

Read more at The Associated Press.

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