Death toll rises to 5 in Hungarian toxic mud spill

[News_Editor]

Death toll rises to 5 in Hungarian toxic mud spill

2010-10-08 21:11:52 GMT+7 (ICT)

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (BNO NEWS) -- The number of people who died in the Hungarian toxic spill has risen to five after one of the victims succumbed to his wounds in a local hospital, officials said on Friday.

The 81-year-old man died in a hospital in Vezprem, located in western Hungary. He was among several victims of the flood who remain hospitalized due to severe chemical burns.

Meanwhile, Hungarian authorities on Thursday night appealed to the European Union's Civil Protection Mechanism to request three to five experts who have strong field experience in handling toxic sludge, decontamination and mitigation of environmental damage. The EU said it had immediately communicated the request to the 31 countries participating in the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and expected responses soon.

The toxic sludge spill reached the Danube river on Thursday, threatening to pollute major waterways and immediately affecting neighboring countries Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, and Moldova.

The government of Slovakia reportedly ordered experts to check the river three times a day while Serbia monitors the river near the Hungarian border.

According to officials, water alkalinity was slightly above normal, with a pH value between 8.96 and 9.07, against a normal figure of 8.0, after the toxic mud reached Europe's second longest river.

The Hungarian government on Wednesday ordered the aluminum company responsible for the toxic red sludge to shut down as an ecological disaster is feared. The company is located in western Hungary, in the city of Ajka.

After a container barrier burst, around 600,000 cubic meters of the red chemical sludge swept villages and towns between Ajka and Devecser, flooding homes, taking cars off the road and causing 120 people to be hospitalized due to burns from the liquid. In addition, five people have been killed.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) on Wednesday expressed concern over the spill, fearing its long-term effects and environmental impact.

“This is an unprecedented incident that effects deeply the ecosystem, wetlands and surface water bodies of the region as well as pointing out the fragility of our drinking water reserves,†said Gabor Figeczky, the Deputy CO of WWF-Hungary.

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