Title
Disaster at an alumina plant in Ajka in western Hungary
Caption
On Oct. 4, 2010, a million cubic meters (35 million cubic feet) of red sludge spilled from a reservoir at an alumina plant in Ajka in western Hungary. Four people were killed and about 100 injured. The sludge entered the Marcal River and has reached the Danube. Aquatic life in the Marcal was severely harmed; the mud also caused significant damage in nearby villages and towns, as well as adjacent farmland. On Oct. 11, when the Advanced Space borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument on NASA's Terra spacecraft captured this image, the reservoir breach and downstream flow of the red sludge were still prominently visible.
Date
20th century
Credit line
Photo12/Ann Ronan Picture Library
Reference
ARP15A02_076
License type
Rights managed
Available size
54,5Mb (3,6Mb) / 22,3in x 9,5in / 6700 x 2845 (300dpi)