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Red mud in Hungary: the army summoned, the MIC on alert

Credit: Hungarian Ministry of Defense

(BRUSSELS2) In western Hungary, the army was called to the rescue after a tank broke in an aluminum factory in Kolontáron (in the canton of Veszprém, western Hungary ). With their NBC outfits and their heavy gear, alongside the firefighters, they try to block the tons of sludge that has been spilled. The logistical means - generator, supply vehicles, dump trucks - were also mobilized. The search continues to find the 3 people who remain missing. But hope now remains very limited. The disaster left 7 dead, 1 missing and 120 133 wounded...

The government suffers from the Russian syndrome

The managers of the factory from which the sludge left are reassuring, believing that the Danube will not be reached. Same optimism on the government side, which seems to suffer from the typically Russian syndrome, which we saw in Chernobyl in 1986 or even recently during the forest fires of summer 2010: everything is under control, refusal of external aid. .. Prime Minister Viktor Orban visiting yesterday on the spot thus wanted above all to point the finger at a human error and preferred to talk about the future, the installation ofanother village with factory restart.

But the content on the spot is more worrying. Because nothing, on the spot, is not yet mastered (situation confirmed to the European Commission). And the only solution found to reduce pollution is to pour plaster into the river, the Marcal, to lower the alkalinity of the water. The pH, which was thus 13,5 on the day of the sludge dumping, is a little over 11 today; and the authorities hope to reach the threshold of 10 fairly quickly. The various rivers nearby could be reached, and indirectly, the Danube (which then passes through Croatia, Serbia and Romania), to the north. The disaster also occurred very close to one of the most touristic regions of Eastern Europe, Lake Balaton, with several protected natural areas.

The MIC on high alert

On the European side, the crisis unit (MIC) has not yet been activated. As a European official in Brussels2 explains: “ The MIC has been in contact with the Hungarian authorities since the accident and is ready to coordinate the necessary assistance should Hungary request it. (But) for the moment, the information received from the crisis managers on the ground is that with the national capacities they can manage the situation. If they need more help the European Civil Protection Mechanism can be activated in seconds. (1).

(1) A Mechanism finally activated, read here

To see the Hungarian government website about the disaster

(updated October 9).

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).

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