HUNGARY DEMANDS COMPENSATION FOR BAIA MARE POLLUTION.

Hungary has demanded payment of Euro 110 million in damages from the Romanian-Australian mining company which owns the Aurul gold mine following the serious pollution caused in January 2000 by the collapse of a dam and the discharge of some 100,000 tonnes of cyanide waste into the Szamos and Tisza Rivers. This major pollution then contaminated the entire downstream Danube River basin, crossing no less than six countries in the region and causing the death of 1,200 tonnes of fish in Hungary alone, before ending its course in the Black Sea. Eva Montsko, a Hungarian official from the office responsible for clearing the damage caused by the pollution, stated: "Hungary has demanded payment of damages from Aurul. If the company does not pay within two weeks, Hungary will file suit". Hungary has also asked Aurul to cease its mining activities and to no longer use the reservoir whose fissured walls had allowed the cyanide to escape. The Aurul mine, located in the town of Baia Mare in Romania's North-Western region, is a joint holding of the Australian mining company Esmeralda Explorations Ltd. and the Romanian Government.