>> an incident overseas tonight has a lot of people wondering, could this kind of thing happen here. >> the devastating footage is broadcast worldwide. among those watching is dr. ian burke, a professor of environmental geochemistry expert at the university of leads and an expert in toxic spills. >> i saw it on the news like everybody else and was struck by the magnitude of it and these pictures. >> though only a fraction of the waste built up at the reservoir is released the resulting spill is colossal surging into multiple towns, and giving the region a haunting blood-red stain. >> it seems very similar to the deepwater horizon spill in the gulf of mexico in terms of impact in recent memories. the amount of material released is roughly equivalent in both spills. >> after rushing through the town, the wave of destruction subsides. the damage is immense. >> people in their homes, mostly in the village of kolontar lost their lives and about 150 other people were caught up in the red mud and needed hospital