The Hungarian government is calling a toxic sludge spill there an "ecological disaster" and has declared a state of emergency after three people were killed and over 100 injured when a reservoir at an alumina plant ruptured. Six are missing.
Alumina contains heavy metals and is a waste product in aluminum production, and exposure to it can be deadly. Victims of the spill have had the red sludge burn through their clothes, and one man told the AP that it had burned his uncle "to the bone." Experts say it could take days for people to realize how badly they have been burned by the sludge.
At least 35.3 million cubic feet of red alumina sludge has leaked, hitting three towns within a 15.4 square mile area. Environmentalists are speaking out today, saying they warned the government years ago about the high levels os alumina that were accumulating across Hungary. Seven years ago, there was an estimated 30 million tons in the country. It is feared the sludge could reach the Danube River if the spill is not contained, and hundreds of tons of plaster has been poured to stop the flow.
[Images via AP]