Hungary completes dam to block sludge

Engineers put the finishes touches Monday on a new dam around a ruptured reservoir to prevent a new wave of toxic sludge from swamping already devastated villages in the west of Hungary.

There is still no estimate of the total cost of the damage caused by the spill, which officials describe as the worst-ever in the country and an "ecological catastrophe."

MAL Hungarian Aluminium Production and Trade Company, which owns the reservoir, could face damage claims of up to 73 million euros ($102 million), Environment State Secretary Zoltan Illes estimated.

According to the latest estimates, 600,000-700,000 cubic meters of toxic sludge spilled September 4 from the reservoir, and 2.5 million tons are still contained inside it.

Dead fish have been sighted as far as Tahi, which is around 40 kilometers north of Budapest, as well as closer to the capital itself.

However, disaster-relief officials argue that the fish have probably been washed along the river and are not a sign that the pollution is continuing to spread.

Indeed, alkaline levels - a sign of water contamination - much closer to the site of the accident are still falling.

AFP