Budapest - Hungarian police secured all premises of aluminium firm MAL Zrt on Tuesday after a disastrous toxic sludge spill that prompted a government takeover, as crews raced to complete an emergency dam to prevent a second deluge.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban has blamed “human negligence” for the escape of sludge from a giant reservoir at a MAL Zrt-owned alumina plant that killed eight people last week, and said the government would take control of the firm.
“Security responsibilities have been taken over by police at all Hungarian premises of MAL Zrt. And we have also gained control of (the company's) information technology system,” disaster commissioner Gyorgy Bakondi told a news conference.
He said police also searched the firm's Budapest office and tax authority APEH had ordered a full screening of MAL Zrt.
Bakondi said he would meet MAL Zrt board members later on Tuesday to discuss next steps. The government will decide on Wednesday whether it is safe to restart production at the plant, he said. If so, it could resume output by the weekend.
He said officials were also investigating whether there had been more sludge in the burst reservoir than the legal limit.
Authorities were checking similar plants elsewhere in Hungary, but so far had not found any irregularities that would warrant immediate action.
Zoltan Bakonyi, the head of MAL Zrt, remained in police custody on Tuesday pending a court decision on his arrest. The decision could be made by Wednesday, police said.
“The suspect has failed to prepare the measures required to relieve the impacts (of such a disaster) and to protect life, physical safety and assets in case of a similar catastrophe, as well as to work out the defence systems and safety installations, notification and alarm systems necessary to mitigate the impacts of a disaster,” police said in a statement.
It said Bakonyi had raised a complaint against both being taken into custody and the suspicions against him. - Reuters