Hungary chemical spill: 15 executives go on trial

The head of an alumina plant in western Hungary has gone on trial charged with negligence following the country’s worst chemical disaster.

Ten people were killed in October 2010 when a holding reservoir at the plant near the town of Ajka collapsed causing a massive spill of toxic sludge.

Around 150 others were injured, the majority suffering chemical burns.

The poisonous red mud flooded nearby villages, covering an area of 40 square kilometres.

Along with 14 other executives, the managing director of the plant’s operator MAL is also accused of violating waste management regulations and causing environmental damage.

The trial is expected to last until late October.

Many homes that were destroyed by the deluge were rebuilt last year. But local residents demanded that one of the damaged houses be

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