Lodos tóxicos de minera húngara de alúmina matan a 4, hieren a por lo menos 120 y se dirigen al Danubio

6 Octubre 2010 , Escrito por El polvorín Etiquetado en #Politica

Hungarian toxic sludge kills 4, injures at least 120 — and it may be headed for the Danube

Las imágenes desgarradoras de Ajka, Hungría, aparentan un desastre natural, como el huracán Katrina. Pero no lo son. Esta inundación es el resultado de un derrame mortal de una planta de alúmina, cuyo depósito colapsó.

Según AP, Hungría declaró el estado de emergencia en tres condados, después de que lodos tóxicos rojos "engulleran varios pueblos y quemaralas personas a través de su ropa." Cuatro personas murieron, seis están desaparecidas y al menos 120 heridas.

Hungarian toxic sludge kills 4, injures at least 120 — and it may be headed for the Danube

The horrifying, heartbreaking pictures of Ajka, Hungary, look like a natural disaster, like Hurricane Katrina. But they're not. This flooding is the result of a deadly spill from an alumina plant whose reservoir burst open. Warning: dreadfully upsetting photos below.

According to AP, Hungary declared a state of emergency in three counties, after the toxic red sludge "engulfed several towns and burned people through their clothes." Four people are dead, six are missing, and at least 120 are injured. The AP story adds:

Several hundred tonnes of plaster were being poured into the Marcal River to bind the toxic sludge and prevent it from flowing on, the National Disaster Management Directorate said. So far, about one million cubic metres of sludge has leaked from the reservoir, affecting an estimated 40 square kilometres, Environmental Affairs State Secretary Zoltan Illes told the state news wire MTI.

Illes called the flood an "ecological catastrophe" and said the sludge could reach the Raba and Danube rivers. He suspended activity at the plant and ordered the company to repair the damaged reservoir.

Photos by AP/Bela Szandelszky. Thanks to Klebert L. Hall for the heads up.

AP, añade: Varios cientos de toneladas de yeso se vertieron en el río Marcal para contener los lodos tóxicos y evitar que fluya, según declaró la Dirección Nacional de Gestión de Desastres. Hasta ahora, alrededor de un millón de metros cúbicos de lodos se ha fugado del depósito y afectan a unos 40 kilómetros cuadrados, dijo Zoltan Illes Secretario de Estado de Asuntos Ambientales al cable de noticias estatal MTI.

Illes calificó el vertido de relaves de "catástrofe ecológica" y dijo que el lodo podría llegar a los ríos Raba y Danubio. Se suspendió la actividad en la planta de alúmina y se ordenó a la empresa reparar el depósito de desechos tóxicos mineros dañado.

Hungarian toxic sludge kills 4, injures at least 120 — and it may be headed for the Danube

Several hundred tonnes of plaster were being poured into the Marcal River to bind the toxic sludge and prevent it from flowing on, the National Disaster Management Directorate said. So far, about one million cubic metres of sludge has leaked from the reservoir, affecting an estimated 40 square kilometres, Environmental Affairs State Secretary Zoltan Illes told the state news wire MTI.

Illes called the flood an "ecological catastrophe" and said the sludge could reach the Raba and Danube rivers. He suspended activity at the plant and ordered the company to repair the damaged reservoir.

Photos by AP/Bela Szandelszky. Thanks to Klebert L. Hall for the heads up.