Kolontar: New Hungarian government figures on the red sludge flood show that the volume of muck that escaped from a burst reservoir was almost as high as the blown-out BP oil well spewed into the Gulf of Mexico.
Government officials said Friday that 600,000 to 700,000 cubic meters (158 million to 184 million gallons) of sludge escaped and inundated three villages before entering the Danube.
The oil spill amounted to more than 200 million gallons. That translates into 757,000 cubic meters.
Government officials previously calculated the volume of the sludge spill at 1 million cubic meters, or 264 million gallons.
The red sludge entered the Danube Wednesday amid fears that it will kill off the river's fish and plant life. But there have been no reports of major damage to the waterway's ecosystem.
First Published: Friday, October 08, 2010, 15:56