Gyoergy Varga / EPA

An aerial photo taken on 05 October 2010, on the broken wall of the reservoir of the Ajka alumina factory in Kolontar, 167 kms southwest of Budapest, Hungary. Previous day the chemical sludge flooded the area between Ajka and Devecser. So far one million cubic metres of the chemical red sludge has leaked and it continues to pour endangering thousands of people with an ecological catastrophe. Four people including two children died due to the dam bursting. Around 80-90 people have been threated in hospital with chemical burns. The Hungarian government declared a state of emergency in Veszprem, Gyor-Moson-Sopron and Vas counties.

Awful

Our story has video and more pictures of the spill and its aftermath:

The Hungarian government declared a state of emergency on Tuesday after a toxic sludge spill killed at least three people, news agency MTI reported [...] The chemical burns caused by the sludge could take days to reveal themselves and what may seem like superficial injuries could later cause damage to deeper tissue, Peter Jakabos, a doctor on duty at a hospital in Gyor where several of the injured were taken, said on state television.

See and read more about the disaster in Hungary here.

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