An aluminum plant spill buried two towns in a red sludge that burned the skin. But the plant bosses got off scot-free

The Ajka Alumina plant disaster saw hundreds of residents in two small towns in Hungary seriously injured by a barrage of toxic sludge which essentially buried them. The disaster even claimed the lives of 10 residents but despite this, the plant’s bosses were found to not be responsible.

On October 4th, 2010, one of the walls to the plants caustic waste reservoir collapsed, releasing one million cubic meters of liquid waste from red mud lakes. These lakes contained the industrial waste from the plant processing materials. The flood washed through the area as a huge wave, roughly 1-2 meters in height, completely covering the nearby town of Devecser and the village of Kolontár.

The waste liquid was made up of multiple chemicals that were a by-product from the plant. The chemicals had turned the water into a red sludge which had a PH level of 13, making it about as corrosive as bleach. Of course, the most deadly part of this disaster was the sheer amount of liquid that flooded the nearby towns.

The consequences of the Ajka Alumina plant accident

The incident claimed the lives of 10 people in the two towns and resulted in the injury of a further 150. Then there’s the property damage, as you’d imagine, a barrage of corrosive liquid could be quite destructive, tearing through homes and knocking down walls. On top of that, it left a strange red stain on everything it touched.

In the aftermath of the accident the people called for those in charge of the Ajka plant to be prosecuted for the destruction and deaths that resulted from the reservoir breaking. However, in a shocking development a court ruled in 2016 that the employers and the managers could not be held responsible for the accident as it had been caused by a “loss of stability in the undersoil.”

The verdict led to some strong reactions according to a Guardian article from the time. One man reportedly shouted, “Outrageous verdict! We will protest!” He also held up a banner showing the destroyed homes along with the words, “This is all 10 people’s lives are worth?” was promptly escorted out of the courtroom.

Others recalled finding the bodies of their loved ones buried underneath the sludge. One man found his father in a football field 5km from his home after apparently being carried by the liquid.

All in all, the destruction spread across an area of more than 15 square miles. The government fined the company that ran the plan 135 billion forint (about $400,000,000) and set up a compensation fund for the victims however, it seems many of the victims would have preferred somebody being held accountable instead.