The Hungarian government declared a state of emergency in several towns on Tuesday, a day after a reservoir at an alumina production plant in Ajka burst its banks, unleashing a flood of toxic red sludge that killed at least four people and injured more than 120, government officials said.
The estimated 185 million gallons of sludge swept cars off roads, damaged bridges and houses and forced hundreds of residents to evacuate their homes.
People who came in contact with the substance were burned through their clothes.
"People here speak of a mini-tsunami," said Gyorgy Bakos, spokesman for the National Directorate General for Disaster Management.
Hungarian environmental experts said that the spill, which threatened to pollute the Danube River, could have devastating consequences for fish and other wildlife.
The agricultural soil that is now under the sludge also will have to be replaced, the experts said.
Officials evacuated residents from Kolontar, Devecser and Somlovasarhely, in southwestern Hungary, and set up makeshift camps in schools and community centers. The sludge spread over 16 square miles, according to the Environment Ministry.
In addition to the dead, who appeared to have drowned, five people were missing, and a total of 7,000 residents were affected by the spill. About 60 people were hospitalized.
