Red sludge reservoir cracks 'stable'

Cracks in a reservoir which burst last week, flooding several towns in western Hungary with red sludge and killing at least seven people, have not continued to widen, officials said today.

The National Disaster Management Directorate said measurements taken in the past 24 hours of cracks on the northern wall, which experts expected to fall, showed no further movement.

At the same time, health authorities warned the local population, as well as clean-up and construction crews, that the amount of red dust in the air exceeded safe limits and that they should use protective gear.

Parts of Kolontar, the town closest to the metals plant’s storage pool, which is 10 hectares (24.7 acres) in size, have become inhabitable, and more than 700 residents have been evacuated.

The owners of the plant expressed their condolences to the families of those killed, as well as to those injured – and said they were sorry for not having done so sooner.

Mal Rt, which owns the alumina plant in Ajka, also said it was willing to pay compensation “in proportion to its responsibility” for the damage caused by the deluge.