'Ecological disaster' develops in Slovakia as river contaminated by orange iron
Polluted water flowing from an iron ore mine in eastern Slovakia has turned the Slana River orange, killing fish and wildlife along the way.
The river runs on a long stretch into Hungary - its length is 229 km, of which 110 km is in Slovakia.
Experts say the contamination is fast developing into an ecological disaster.
Slovak authorities are taking steps to reduce the amount of polluted water stemming from the mine, which is state owned.
But further up on the river in the Slovakian village of Nizna Slana, where the mine is located, locals are in despair.
Tibor Varga, 35, a local surgeon and keen angler, has been monitoring the river since February when the pollution started and says he has witnessed the slow death of wildlife due to the river's high content of iron and zinc.
"There is no living creature underneath the pebbles, we can see only rust," he said, lifting a fresh sample.
"This high iron content covers the gill of the fish and... reduces the surface where the fish breathe, and they start to suffocate." Read More...
