Poisonous red sludge floods Hungarian towns

An aerial view of the broken dyke of a reservoir containing red mud near Ajka in Hungary Photograph: Balazs Mohai/AP

An aerial view shows houses affected by a toxic red sludge spill from a Hungarian alumina plant, in Devecser, near Ajka, 100 miles (160 km) south-west of Budapest Photograph: Greenpeace/Reuters

A woman saves her cat from toxic mud in the town of Devecser Photograph: Bela Szandelszky/AP

A man takes a photograph of the devastation Photograph: Tomas Benedikovic/isifa/Getty Images

A Hungarian soldier wearing chemical protection gear walks through a street flooded by toxic mud in Devecser Photograph: Bela Szandelszky/AP

A shopkeeper squats on the counter of a flooded petrol station Photograph: Reuters

A dead fish on the windscreen of a damaged car Photograph: Lajos Nagy/EPA

A dog covered in the mud
Photograph: Tomas Benedikovic/isifa/Getty Images

A resident rests on a chair outside his house Photograph: Tamas Kovacs/EPA

Jozsef Horvath stands in his flooded house in Devecser Photograph: Tamas Kovacs/EPA

A Hungarian firefighter cleans a street in Devecser Photograph: Darko Bandic/AP

A dead fish is seen in the Marcal river in Koronco, 100 miles west of Budapest Photograph: LASZLO BALOGH/REUTERS

Aerial view of the confluence of the Raba (top) and Mosoni Duna rivers in Gyor Photograph: Peter Somogyi-t Th/AFP/Getty Images

Gypsum is poured into the Marcal river in an attempt to neutralise the alkaline contamination from the spill Photograph: Laszlo Balogh/Reuters

An aerial view of rescue team members crossing a pontoon-bridge replacing the original bridge washed away by a sludge flood in Kolontar Photograph: Balazs Mohai/AP

Footprints can be seen in the toxic red sludge which covers a yard in Devecser Photograph: Bela Szandelszky/AP

Hungarian soldiers wearing protective gear are washed by water jets in Devecser Photograph: Lajos Nagy/AP

An elderly local resident cleans his house and garden in Devecser Photograph: Balint Porneczi/AFP/Getty Images

Freshly caught fish from Danube fleet next to a boat in Bazias Photograph: Daniel Mihailescu/AFP/Getty Images

Volunteers wearing protective gear walk across a street covered by toxic red sludge in Devecser, Devecser with a population of 5,300 is also in the likely path of a possible new sludge deluge Photograph: Bela Szandelszky/AP

A pair of shoes lies covered with mud in the flooded village of Devecser Photograph: Bernadett Szabo/Reuters

An aerial view shows the alumina plant from which around 1m cubic metres of red mud burst last week Photograph: Laszlo Balogh/Reuters

A religious painting hangs above items covered with red mud on a smashed wall in a family house in Kolontar, around 100 miles south-west of Budapest Photograph: Lajos Nagy/EPA