Hungarian village evacuated after new damage in burst reservoir discovered

Kolontar was one of the villages most affected by the spill from the reservoir of an alumina plant in Ajka.

According to the Hungarian authorities, the damage to the northern wall of the reservoir was minor, but 800 villagers were evacuated early this morning as a precaution.

At least seven people had died as a result of the accident.

Around 150 people had been injured when up to 700,000 cubic metres of red toxic sludge flooded from the burst reservoir and hit villages in western Hungary.

Kolontar was the village closest to the reservoir. Residents were taken to a sports hall and two schools in Ajka, 8 kilometres away.

In the last few days, residents and emergency workers had worked round-the-clock to remove the worst of the toxic red sludge which had damaged houses, streets and farmland and polluted waterways.

An activist from the environmental group Greenpeace said he felt "like I had arrived on planet Mars".

All life in the Marcal river, which feeds the Danube, was said to have been extinguished.