The red mud spill in western Hungary, which forced hundreds of local dwellers out of their homes, contaminated the soil and decimated wildlife, was answered with an unprecedented show of solidarity and cooperation of volunteer workers, authorities and locals in Kolontar, as this reporter discovered Wednesday.
The sludge, a byproduct of aluminum production, poured from a broken containment pond Monday and flooded several villages, bursting into homes and overturning vehicles. Four people were killed and more than 100 injured, the government said.
The appearance of the village that's been most severely affected by the red sludge outburst reminded me of a post-war scene, a sorry sight of red death remaining after a tsunami of toxic waste.
However, the site was also that of large-scale cooperation; soldiers in protective garb marching with shovels; caterpillars, high-pressure cleaners and bobcats cleaning and raking away the mud; yellow-coated catastrophe-prevention workers organizing the clean-up, and policemen guiding the newly arrived to parking areas all contributed to the colorful branch of people on the spot.
Help is indeed present where it is much needed. Kolontar mayor Jozsef Tili said Wednesday that they didn't even need more helpers because the village is small: They rather needed money to help villagers who lost their homes.
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