Hungary spill plant to begin production again
Source: Agencies |
October 14, 2010, Thursday
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THE alumina plant which flooded parts of Hungary with toxic sludge will restart production by Friday and will be under state control for up to two years, Disaster Commissioner Gyorgy Bakondi said yesterday.
The spill of industrial waste last week at the plant owned by MAL killed nine people, injured over 120 and °?polluted a tributary of the river Danube.
Bakondi said the plant would restart production on Thursday or Friday. "We gave a preliminary permission to reheat the power plant (serving the aluminum factory)," Bakondi told a news conference. "Letting it cool off too much would have caused damages worth billions of forints (the Hungarian currency)."
The firm will remain under state control for up to two years while there still is an emergency on the ground and during relief efforts.
"The law is clear on that," Bakondi said. "The firm can be under state control for a maximum of two years."
Prime Minister Viktor Orban visited the area around the plant. He has blamed "human negligence" for the spill, which is Hungary's worst ecological disaster.
Latest checks showed no further deterioration in the damaged wall of the plant's giant reservoir, said Gyorgyi Tottos, a spokeswoman for disaster crews on the scene.
Lajos Tolnay, MAL's chairman, said the company would co-operate with an inquiry into what caused the spill. He blamed natural causes.
"The company must pay if it caused the damages," Tolnay said. "We feel that we are not responsible because our view is that it was an external force, that is, the development of natural conditions, that caused the catastrophe."
The spill of industrial waste last week at the plant owned by MAL killed nine people, injured over 120 and °?polluted a tributary of the river Danube.
Bakondi said the plant would restart production on Thursday or Friday. "We gave a preliminary permission to reheat the power plant (serving the aluminum factory)," Bakondi told a news conference. "Letting it cool off too much would have caused damages worth billions of forints (the Hungarian currency)."
The firm will remain under state control for up to two years while there still is an emergency on the ground and during relief efforts.
"The law is clear on that," Bakondi said. "The firm can be under state control for a maximum of two years."
Prime Minister Viktor Orban visited the area around the plant. He has blamed "human negligence" for the spill, which is Hungary's worst ecological disaster.
Latest checks showed no further deterioration in the damaged wall of the plant's giant reservoir, said Gyorgyi Tottos, a spokeswoman for disaster crews on the scene.
Lajos Tolnay, MAL's chairman, said the company would co-operate with an inquiry into what caused the spill. He blamed natural causes.
"The company must pay if it caused the damages," Tolnay said. "We feel that we are not responsible because our view is that it was an external force, that is, the development of natural conditions, that caused the catastrophe."
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