Collapsed reservoir got all-clear two weeks before spill

An AERIAL photo taken just months before a gigantic reservoir unleashed torrents of toxic sludge in Hungary shows a red trail trickling through the wall.

Police are now examining the image as they investigate how part of the wall containing the 350 million cubic feet of caustic slurry could have given way without structural weaknesses being detected by government environmental inspectors who checked the container pond less then two weeks before the spill.

Disaster commissioner Gyorgy Bakondi yesterday said the inspections were under investigation, including claims by environmental teams that "they had found everything in order".

As the police inquiry gathers pace, judicial authorities have scheduled a court appearance for Zoltan Bakony, the managing director of the company that owned the reservoir, to decide if he should be formally charged.

The aerial photo showing an apparent leak of red sludge on the northern wall of the reservoir - the same wall that partially collapsed eight days ago - was taken by Interpect. The Hungarian company invests some of its profits in environmental projects, such as taking photos of locations in Hungary which could be at environmental risk.

Interpect director Gabor Bako said he took the picture on 11 June, nearly four months before the chemical spill.