The thick red line.

July 16, 2012 1:49 PM

October 14, 2010: A breach at a bauxite processing plant spilled a million cubic meters of red sludge across the countryside near Ajka, Hungary, killing nine people. Six months later, photographer Palíndromo Mészáros took photos of the disaster site, abandoned save for The Red Line. (via)

More on the Ajka alumina plant accident. The red stain on the trees has resisted efforts to clean it off.

posted by googly (20 comments total)

This picture will surely get photo of the year.
posted by crunchland at 1:54 PM on July 16, 2012 [13 favorites]

I have not yet looked at this but dude's name is Palindromo. PALINDROMO. how cool is that????? off to look at links now!
posted by supermedusa at 2:00 PM on July 16, 2012 [1 favorite]

But unfortunately, his first name is not Omordnilap.
posted by Mei's lost sandal at 2:02 PM on July 16, 2012 [13 favorites]

Last name, that is.
posted by Mei's lost sandal at 2:03 PM on July 16, 2012

The tree picture is vaguely reminiscent of an Andrew Goldsworthy project, only instead of being beautiful and serene it's beautiful and horrifying.
posted by Cash4Lead at 2:04 PM on July 16, 2012 [3 favorites]

Does that mean the trees are now fireproof from the line on down?
posted by LogicalDash at 2:10 PM on July 16, 2012

Holy shit. What impresses me most about disasters like this (and tornadoes, floods, etc.) is that the victims are somehow able to move on. I know I'd be tempted to look at my destroyed house and business and everything and just give up.
posted by xedrik at 2:10 PM on July 16, 2012

yeah i saw that picture on imgur a little while back. it is really amazing - it takes you a while to realize it's not some sort of shop, and even then, it's hard to come to terms with. Amazing photo - and great post, Googly!
posted by rebent at 2:10 PM on July 16, 2012

This gives me an idea for how to level the floor in my basement!
posted by Mister Moofoo at 2:13 PM on July 16, 2012

Wow.
posted by prefpara at 2:13 PM on July 16, 2012

Red Dread: Toxic sludge spill swallows towns : Around 120 people were taken to hospital suffering from chemical burns. Emergency services say the clean-up's almost complete and are trying to neutralize the toxins by pouring plaster into the sludge.
posted by crunchland at 2:17 PM on July 16, 2012

What I think is great about this picture is the fact that the photographer took it at the level of the sludge, so now matter how far in the distance the tree is, the top of the red all lines up.

Fascinating and Horrifying indeed.
posted by The Power Nap at 2:30 PM on July 16, 2012

is that the victims are somehow able to move on. I know I'd be tempted to look at my destroyed house and business and everything and just give up.
posted by xedrik at 5:10 PM on July 16 [+] [!]

Interesting you should say that, cause I took one look on the face of the guy in photo#27, and I said to myself: This guy is on the verge of giving up. He looks like he's wondering why he's even bothering. Maybe He's saying to himself "Everything is dead. But how could everything be dead? Maybe, I'm dead and this is hell?" Everything is dead, what am I still doing here? God, I could use a drink."
posted by Skygazer at 2:34 PM on July 16, 2012

That tree photo with the red line doesn't even look real. Everything in the red is completely dead, yet somehow the trees are still getting nutrients for the tops to appear green and it's really a matter of time, a short time before everyone of those trees is dead.

If someone showed me that photo with no information I'd think it was photoshop-ped with a color filter.
posted by Skygazer at 2:39 PM on July 16, 2012

Chilling.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 3:03 PM on July 16, 2012

Warning: Dead animals in the first link. made me sad :(
posted by mudpuppie at 3:34 PM on July 16, 2012

We could learn, perhaps, from the Hungarian government's legal response. The spill took place on the 4th of October. On the 11th, the managing director was arrested. On the 13th the company was nationalised, the legislation necessary to do this having been passed on the 12th.
posted by rhymer at 4:01 PM on July 16, 2012 [16 favorites]

But unfortunately, his [last] name is not Omordnilap.

Of course it isn't, because his middle name is Omordnilap-Sorázsém.
posted by shmegegge at 4:12 PM on July 16, 2012 [1 favorite]

We could learn, perhaps, from the Hungarian government's legal response. The spill took place on the 4th of October. On the 11th, the managing director was arrested. On the 13th the company was nationalised, the legislation necessary to do this having been passed on the 12th.

We've got it handled already.


HAMBURGER.
posted by JimmyJames at 4:54 PM on July 16, 2012 [4 favorites]

IIRC, there is, in Pratchett and Gaiman's Good Omens, a scene in which the Horseman Pollution (Pestilence), looks out across a toxic and rotting landscape, simply entranced by all the colors. And, let's be honest, some of these photos are lovely.

Which worries me. I fear for future generations, that look out across drought-ridden, heat-blasted landscape and think, "So pretty."
posted by SPrintF at 8:09 PM on July 16, 2012 [2 favorites]