The Hungarian Government is taking control of the MAL Hungarian Aluminium Production and Trade Company. The alumina plant which released a devastating tide of toxic sludge has been responsible for the Parliament approving a bill which would allow the government to take control of private companies in disaster situations.
The alumina plant's toxic sludge reservoir burst last week, killing 8 people and flooding 3 towns. The highly alkaline sludge, created in the production of alumina, also polluted the neighbouring rivers. The hazardous waste burst out of the reservoir on October 4, 2010.
The bill was approved on Monday and the assets of the company have been frozen. The managing director of the company Zoltan Bakonyi has also been detained by the police on suspicion of public endangerment causing multiple deaths. However the government has no plans to nationalize Mal as per Anna Nagy a spokesperson for the cabinet.