On Monday, October 4th, 2010 the villages of Kolontar and Devecser in Western Hungary were devastated by a flood of a toxic red sludge from a reservoir at the Ajkai Timfoldgyar alumina plant in Ajka. A state of emergency was declared the following day as the death count from the sludge, a waste product in aluminum production containing heavy metals, rose to three and ecological concerns increased for the Marcal, Raba, and Danube rivers. Since then, 9 people have been confirmed dead and more than 150 injured due to the toxic deluge. A team of environmental scientists and toxicologists have been deployed to aid in the clean-up efforts of over 15 sq. miles of land. While residents were allowed to return to what was left of their homes on October 15th, the alumina plant at the source of the spill reopened. The state of emergency has been extended until December 31st for the affected towns, which have been declared “ecological disaster zones.”
