Here's the latest update on the toxic spill in Hungary courtesy of Reuters. Not surprisingly, human negligence is fingered as the culprit for environmental damage. Read an excerpt below.
Hungary state to take control of MAL after spill
By Gergely Szakacs
BUDAPEST | Mon Oct 11, 2010 9:23am EDT
"Disaster crews were racing Monday to finish an emergency dam to hold back a threatened second spill of the toxic mud, a by-product of alumina production, from the sludge reservoir owned by MAL.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban told parliament damages must be paid to those affected by the spill, jobs at the plant must be saved, those responsible must be held accountable and further risks at the company's sites should be identified.
'Hungary's largest ecological disaster was caused by human negligence, by allowing a hazardous material to escape from a plant built and operated by people,' Orban said.
'We need to bring the company responsible for the red sludge spill under state control, and its assets under state closure, until all of these four tasks are handled,' he told parliament.
Orban said a state commissioner would be appointed to take over control over MAL and manage its assets.
'In light of what happened, we have good reason to believe that there were people who were aware of the dangerously weakened state of the walls of the reservoirs, but driven by their private interests they believed they were not worth repairing and hoped that the trouble could be avoided.'"
To read more of the article, click here.
Image courtesy of Reuters.com.
Comments