Officials from Hungary and Romania have decided to seek compensation for the cyanide spill which poisoned several rivers in the region.

The countries are also setting up a joint committee to evaluate the extent of the disaster -- which Hungarian officials are calling the worst in a decade.

The cyanide spilled from a gold mine in Romania ten days ago and has had a particularly devastating effect on the Hungarian and Romanian sections of the rivers , the Tisza and the Szamos, where tonnes of fish are reported to have died and supplies of drinking water are threatened. The Australian company, Esmeralda Exploration, which part-owns the gold mine, has described the reports as exaggerated, but trading in its shares has been suspended.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service