Hungarian bauxite waste threatens wide-area pollution

The poison from the bauxite waste store in Hungary killed all fish in a river, while the country declared a state of emergency because of the red mud spill.

>>>Mud poison spills over the second longest river in Europe
>>> Broken waste storage, Hungary declared a state of emergency

White foam floating on the Raba river section in Gyor town, Hungary on October 7 after red mud came to this river. The red mud disaster occurred when the sludge of the bauxite refining process of a local factory broke, causing the red mud stream to flow down to the nearby villages, flooding the house and destroying the environment. . Photo: AFP.

Fish carcasses floated on the Marcal River in Hungary on October 7 after poisonous mud swept into the river. A spokesman for the Hungarian rescue force said the entire fish of the Marcal River was dead by poison. Photo: AFP.

1.1 million m ^{3 of} red mud has flooded the surrounding towns and villages. 4 people in Kolontar village died of poison sludge. Kolontar is where the Torna River joins the Marcal River.

' Every living thing in the Marcal River is destroyed by the high concentration of alkaline in the water. Every fish died and we couldn't save the flora , 'said Tibor Dobson, local rescue force commander, told MTI news agency.

In the picture Fish bodies were picked up on the river. Photo: AFP.

The Marcal River is a branch of the Raab River and the Raab River flows into the Danube - Europe's second longest river. Poison to the Danube at noon. Workers cleared mud in Kolontar village in western Hungary on October 7. Photo: AP.

Bauxite is a pink, brown sedimentary aluminum ore formed from weathering of aluminum-rich stones or accumulated from pre-existing ores by erosion. Waste from bauxite contains many extremely toxic heavy metals. In the picture, a car in the village was swept away by mud. Photo: AP.

Firefighters throw away broken belongings of Kolontar villagers on October 7. Photo: AP.

View of Devecser town - about 164 km southwest of Hungary's capital Budapest - after the red mud came in. Photo: AP.

Mr. Gbor Figeczky, executive director of the International Nature Conservation Fund (WWF) in Hungary, warned that after flooding the Danube, bauxite waste could cause international scale harm.

' Some animals and plants die instantly, some other species will be poisoned for a long time because toxic sludge builds up in their bodies ,' he said. Photo: AP.

Cars destroyed by mud were stacked up in Devecser town. Photo: AP.

An industrial gypsum excavator descended on the Marcal River on October 7 to freeze red mud. Photo: AFP.

Industrial plaster firefighter down the Marcal River. Photo: AFP.