A byproduct of refining bauxite into alumina at the Ajkai Timfoldgyar plant, the sludge swept over the landscape in a flood that was several metres high – sweeping cars off the road in its wake. The accident has so far claimed the lives of at least 8 people, and 120 more are known to have been injured – many of them suffering chemical burns.

As well as the human tragedy, large numbers of wild and domestic animals have been killed in the disaster, and the full environmental impact could last several decades according to the WWF.

There are currently an some 4,000 emergency workers and 300 machines trying desperately to stop further contamination. The Marcal and Torna rivers have already been affected, and the toxic waste is now heading towards the Raba and Danube rivers. Work is underway on an emergency dam designed to prevent the release of a further 500,000 cubic metres of toxic waste.

Earlier today Google released imagery of the affected area taken by the Ikonos satellite in the past few days. You can survey the devastation by downloading the KML file and viewing it in Google Earth.

Boston.com’s Big Picture site has a typically shocking photo gallery of the clean-up efforts, including one particular photo that gives you an idea of how massive this reservoir breach was¹.

Locations: Hungary / Categories: Structures

View in Google Earth

However it turns out we were looking in completely the wrong country – obviously, Jesus was actually busy making Himself known in Hungary.

There is no doubt in our minds that this is clearly an image of Son of God Himself, so we’ll be listing this field on ebay just as soon as we obtain the deeds. In the meantime we’ll be selling copies of this image for £1,000 each.

That is, unless this isn’t Jesus?

See our other related posts for even more Google Earth Pareidolia:

• Face of [Insert Your Own Messiah] Found in [Insert Your Own Natural Phenomenon]
• Irish Rock Face
• Face of Santa Claus
• Native American Listening to an iPod
• The Face of Mother Earth
• The Simian Messiah
• Face of Jesus Found in Sand Dune

Locations: Hungary / Categories: Large Type, Weirdness

View in Google Earth

The Swiss city of Basel is home to one of the most spectacular tripoint monuments at the location where it borders Germany and France.

Basel’s dreiländereck (literally “3 lands place”) is home to a soaring metal three-sided spiral which bears the flags of the 3 countries. It is located on a quay in the river Rhine, near a restaurant of the same name. The actual tripoint is located just to the north-west, in the middle of the river.

Germany also has a significant tripoint where it meets Belgium and the Netherlands. Vaalserberg features a number of tourist attractions including a viewing tower, cafes and a maze.

While Google Maps seems to show the tripoint in a tree, I believe the actual location is marked by the 3 small monuments visible by their shadows in the upper-left of this image.¹

Not all tripoints are marked as cohesively. The one where Austria, Hungary and Slovakia meet has a number of monuments scattered across the different borders – all quite small, so check Panoramio to see them in detail.

Where is your favourite location with one foot in one country, one foot in a second, and … perhaps your nose in a third?

For more like this, see our 2008 post about Complicated Borders. Thanks to AndrewAnorak and David Grenewetzki.

Locations: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Slovakia, Switzerland / Categories: Mazes, Monuments, Towers

View in Google Earth

Thanks: ilves, Zoltan Marton, Kertész Attila, Rickard Jensen & Mario Sarno

Locations: Hungary / Categories: Stadiums and Sport

View in Google Earth