A 14-month-old baby, an elderly woman and a middle-aged man and woman died when tides of toxic red sludge flowed out of one of the alumina reservoirs of company MAL near Ajka on Monday.

The spokesman declined to name the victims, the first of whom, a 34-year-old man, will be buried at Kolontar cemetery on Tuesday.

Honvedkorhaz State Health Centre told MTI that it is treating ten people.

Petz Aladar Hospital director general and head physician Janos Laszlo Petz said one in three of those receiving medical attention in Gyor are in a critical condition.

Meanwhile the sludge has reached the Marcal river, taking the still toxic substance toward Hungary's north-western areas. Emergency workers are diluting the contaminated water around the clock in a bid to prevent the mud from reaching the Raba and eventually the Danube. Contamination was evident in Gyor county by Wednesday afternoon.

West Transdanubian environment directorate head Istvan Nador said that plaster and a substance with a high nitrate content are being poured into the water from a road bridge to reduce the lye-content of the Marcal.

The Transdanubian environment protection supervisory checked the storage reservoir two weeks ago and found it to be in order, Nepszava says.

Meanwhile Interior Minister Sandor Pinter confirmed that the National Bureau of Investigation is now overseeing the inquiry into the disaster. He told reporters that a 24-hour crew is monitoring the dams of the reservoir near Kolontar. Specialists on the scene hope that no toxic substances will reach the Danube, he said.

Construction of a temporary dam around a damaged section of the reservoir to prevent the red mud-laden water to further contaminate the environment is expected to be completed by Thursday morning.

MAL reportedly wants to restart production at the alumina factory this weekend.

The state will file a criminal report against MAL on suspicion of negligence leading to human deaths, it was announced at a local forum held for the residents of the villages.

Pinter said the red-mud flood had damaged 40 houses in two streets in Kolontar, 244 houses in 19 streets in Devecser and 14 houses in another street in Somlovasarhely.

Gas supplies are out in 110 houses in Devecser, water supplies to two streets have stopped due to a burst pipe while five houses have collapsed, town mayor Tamas Toldi a local forum.

Devecser residents demanded a complete land swap in exchange for the red mud-contaminated area at a forum on Wednesday evening. Kolontar villagers whose homes were damaged by the red mud have formed a society and entrusted Budapest lawyer Gyorgy Magyar with launching legal action.

MAL president Lajos Tolnay told the radio station that the assets insurance of the company is valued at Ft 8.5 billion which will cover the damage done to the plant equipment. MAL intends to play a part in easing the aftermath and pay compensation to the residents of the affected villages, he added.

Technology manager at MAL Jozsef Deak said the company had a damage limitation plan but Monday afternoon’s events unfolded too fast. He denied that the company is responsible for the catastrophe.

State Secretary Zoltan Illes said at least a year will be needed to completely clean the contaminated areas. He told the BBC that EU help may be relied upon after the disaster.

Joe Hennon, spokesman for the EU environmental protection commissioner, told the BBC that the situation is tragic and the EU solidarity fund would provide financial assistance if Hungary requests this.

Fidesz MEP Janos Ader proposed the establishment of an EU disaster fund at the plenary session of the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday.

The world’s main television channels have presented the red mud spill in Kolontar as a typical Eastern European story, according to Magyar Nemzet. "

Source: Hungary Around the Clock.

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