Manama: A senior Hungarian diplomat in Doha has asked the people of Qatar to donate to relief organisations in his country, following a disastrous leakage of red sludge.
Andras Kovacs, the deputy head of mission at the Hungarian embassy, told Qatari daily Gulf Times that those wishing to contribute to the relief effort could send donations to Hungary's Red Cross and Interchurch Aid.
Thousands of people have been badly affected in Hungary after red-coloured sludge began seeping out from a reservoir next to an alumina plant before it cascaded into nearby villages and tributaries of the Danube.
On Saturday, the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban explained that the government had set up a damage mitigation fund to help Hungarians displaced by the red sludge flood and he encouraged people from anywhere in the world to donate.
A fund-raiser will be held in Doha on October 23 to mark the Hungarian National Day celebrations, but the event will be limited to the members of the Hungarian community in Qatar, of which there are approximately 300.
“Some of them work as sports coaches, musicians and some as pilots with Qatar Airways,” said Kovacs.
