Hungary's toxic sludge spill as big as Gulf oil leak

Kolontar (Hungary): Officials have reported the mighty Danube River is apparently absorbing Hungary's massive toxic red sludge spill with little immediate harm - even though the amount of caustic slurry spewed over the western part of the country was nearly as great as the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Revising even higher earlier estimates, government officials said the reservoir break at an alumina plant Monday dumped 600,000 to 700,000 cubic meters (158 million to 184 million gallons) of sludge onto three villages - not much less in a few hours than the 200 million gallons the blown-out BP oil well gushed into the Gulf over several months starting in April.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban said the threat to the Danube had been eliminated.

"We managed to take control of the situation in time," he said.