Hungary Toxic Sludge: Cracked Reservoir Wall Will Inevitably Collapse (Second One) - AP/HuffPo

[WillyT]

Hungary Toxic Sludge: Cracked Reservoir Wall Will Inevitably Collapse (Second One)
PABLO GORONDI | 10/10/10 04:40 PM | AP/HuffPo



<snip>

KOLONTAR, Hungary — The owners of the metals plant whose reservoir burst, flooding several towns in western Hungary with caustic red sludge, expressed their condolences Sunday to the families of the seven people killed, as well as to those injured – and said they were sorry for not having done so sooner.

MAL Rt., which owns the alumina plant in Ajka, also said it was willing to pay compensation "in proportion to its responsibility" for the damage caused by the deluge.

But the trouble may not be over.

With the northwest corner of the storage pool still showing a hole 50 meters (yards) wide where the mix of mud and water broke through last week, officials said the collapse of at least one of the breached walls was inevitable. That, they said, would probably unleash a new deluge of toxic matter that could ooze a half-mile (1 kilometer) to the north, wreaking further havoc.

That would flood parts of the town nearest the plant – one of those already hit by the industrial waste Oct. 4 – but stop short of the next town to the north.

Environmental State Secretary Zoltan Illes said that recently discovered cracks on the northern wall of the reservoir at the alumina plant have temporarily stopped widening because of favorable weather conditions but will continue to expand, especially at night.

<snip>

More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/10/hungary-toxic-sludge-wall-cracks_n_757341.html

Christ...

:beer:

[malaise]

1. That's on every editorial page in Jamaica

We have several of those toxic lakes just waiting for a similar disaster. Let's hope this is a wake-up call.

[SidDithers]

4. Lots of bauxite mining in Jamaica, right?...nt

Sid

[malaise]

5. Yes and we've had our fair share of accidents

Nothing as bad as Hungary YET.

[Vinca]

2. Just when you start to think Mother Earth can't be trashed any more,

the notion is proved wrong. Very sad.

[itsrobert]

3. This is why corporations send our jobs overseas

So they don't have to be responsible corporate citizens.