[00:05.43]Last month, a deadly accident took place at a gold mining operation in northern Romania.
[00:13.69]Cyanide poison accidentally overflowed a dam and flowed into streams leading to two major rivers in Hungary and Yugoslavia.
[00:25.89]Millions of fish have died in the Tisza and Danube rivers.
[00:32.16]And drinking water in the area is not safe.
[00:36.52]International officials say the spill will cost millions of dollars and take many years to clean up.
[00:44.96]The accident happened at a gold mine in the Romanian town of Baia Mare,near the border with Hungary.
[00:53.79]The mine is jointly owned by Romania and the Australian Esmeralda mining company.
[01:01.83]The cyanide spilled when heavy snow and rain caused a holding container at the mine to overflow.
[01:10.50]The poison entered the Szamos River in Romania, and flowed to the Tisza, Hungary's second longest river.
[01:20.04]From there, it moved across the Yugoslav border and entered the much larger Danube River.
[01:27.56]International experts say they believe about 100 tons of cyanide flowed into the Tisza.
[01:36.26]Environmental officials say the cyanide destroyed all life in a 400 kilometer area of the Tisza.
[01:45.74]Cyanide is used in mining all over the world.
[01:50.45]It helps separate gold from crushed rock.
[01:54.63]However, it is an extremely deadly poison and must be carefully controlled.
[02:01.55]Experts are also concerned that lead, zinc and other heavy metals also might have entered the water.
[02:11.24]Hungarian officials fear the deadly pollution threatens all plants and animals in the area for years to come.
[02:20.59]They have called the cyanide spill Europe's most serious environmental disaster since the nuclear accident at Chernobyl,Ukraine in 1986.
[02:33.63]The cyanide spill has led to a dispute among thethree countries.
[02:39.74]Hungary and Yugoslavia say Romania and the Australian mining company are responsible for the damage and should have to pay.
[02:51.13]But Romania says it will not pay because it also suffered damages.
[02:57.87]The European Union has promised to help Hungary and Romania clean up the cyanide spill.
[03:06.49]It has not promised aid for Yugoslavia, which is facing international restrictions. |