Alumina workers rescued from toxic sludge
TWO workers at Rio Tinto’s Yarwun alumina processing plant, near Gladstone in Queensland, were rescued after being stranded in the toxic alumina tailings dam for several hours. Rio had to employ RACQ Capricorn Helicopter Rescue Service and firefighter emergency services to rescue one male Rio employee and one female contractor, when the machine they were operating overturned into the dam of toxic red sludge. At the time of the incident, the workers were on board the machine, known as an amphibious amphirol, attempting to flatten and condense the red mud processing by-product. However, when the machine rolled both workers were drenched in sludge. A helicopter was deployed to lower fresh clothes and equipment to the workers, who had managed to...
