On the 4th October 2010., shortly after noon, the wall of one of the red sludge depositories of MAL Zrt. burst and the toxic sludge treated with alkaline substances toppled the thick concrete walls, flushing the nearby cities and villages. It destroyed nearly everything in its path: it demolished the walls of the houses at Kolontár and swept cars away into Devecser a few kilometers away. The industrial catastrophe of previously unseen proportions for Hungary claimed the lives of 4 people immediately,with 6 more people dying from injuries sustained by getting in contact with the toxic material. The red sludge is a byproduct of aluminum production, withseveral dozens of such depositories worldwide. However this was the first industrial accident of its kind, caused by torrential amounts of rain and the flawed design of the depository.