10 Dead, 300 Missing After Mining Dam Collapses in Brazil
The dam collapse on Friday sent a torrent of mud over a nearby community. Officials say roughly 300 people are trapped in areas flooded by the river of sludge released by the dam near the town of Brumadinho in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais.
Rescue operations continue but the state's governor, Romeu Zema, said Saturday morning there is little chance of finding people alive.
"From now, the odds are minimal and it's most likely we'll recover only bodies," he said.
The environmental ministry fined Vales as the company comes under scrutiny for regulatory violations and pollution in the wake of the disaster.
Fire officials say among those missing are 200 employees who were having lunch in the dam's administrative area when the collapse occurred.
Television images showed rescue workers in helicopters trying to help people trapped in thick mud. The images also showed damage to homes, vehicles and large areas of farmland.
Authorities have ordered families to evacuate homes in low-lying areas.
The accident recalls a similar disaster in 2015, when another mining dam broke in the same state of Minas Gerais, killing 19 people. That dam was also administrated by Vale, along with Australian mining company BHP Billiton. The 2015 dam collapse released millions of tons of toxic iron waste along hundreds of kilometers, causing what is considered Brazil’s worst-ever environmental disaster.