Lethal Hungarian toxic spill

At least two people have been killed after the dam of a sludge reservoir at a big alumina factory in western Hungary burst, flooding parts of three villages.

The accident occurred at the Ajkai Timfoldgyar Zrt plant, owned by MAL Zrt. No one was immediately available at the company to comment.

Gyorgy Bakos, a county disaster-control spokesman, said about 600,000-700,000 cubic metres of sludge had spilled from the reservoir.

Local news sources say the sludge contained a strongly caustic material.

Children at a school in Kolontar, about 160 km (100 miles) west of Budapest, had had to be evacuated. The regional disaster unit was considering evacuations in Kolontar late on Monday.

Interior Minister Sandor Pinter said that police have launched criminal investigations to clarify why the dam burst: "The responsibility is being investigated. The police inspected the dam and confiscated documents that could prove whether the dam was built according to the rules and maintained properly."