Sumeg, Hungary (CNN) -- The toxic red sludge leak in Hungary reached the Danube River on Thursday as emergency officials worked to contain as much of the leak as possible.
Tibor Dobson, a top disaster management official, told CNN that the sludge -- which flowed from an aluminum plant reservoir that burst on Monday -- has reached the continent's second-largest river.
But Dobson said officials believe PH levels have dropped to within an acceptable range, making the river safe. They are monitoring the Danube for sign of toxicity, such as dying fish.
The environmental disaster -- which occurred nearly 100 miles west of Budapest near the town of Ajka -- has killed two children, ages 1 and 3, an elderly woman and a 35-year-old man whose SUV overturned in the sludge.
About 250 people have been evacuated from their homes, said Gyorgi Tottos, a spokeswoman for Hungary's Catastrophe Protection Unit.
Emergency workers were pouring plaster and fertilizers in hopes that it would bind with the sludge and counter its alkalinity.
Earlier Thursday morning, the sludge had an alkalinity of 9.3 on the pH scale -- higher than neutral, but much less than it was originally, at 13, the Catastrophic Protection Unit said.
The reservoir has since been repaired and the flow from the pool halted. But the material that flowed out of the reservoir continues to pose a threat.
The aluminum factory has said it will pay for the victims' funerals.
Residents were advised not to eat produce from gardens that were covered when the dam burst.
It was not clear when residents evacuated from affected areas in the villages of Kolontar, Devecser and Somlovasarhely would be able to return home. The long-term consequences of the leak were also unclear.
In some villages, police with guns patrolled some of the villages to keep looters at bay.
A state of emergency has been declared in three counties, the State Secretariat of Governmental Communications said.
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