Mine tragedy in Brazil

The death toll has risen to 121 after a dam burst at the Corrego do Feijao iron ore mine in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil, emergency services said on Saturday, February 2. At the moment, 226 people are considered missing.

The failure of the dam near Brumadinho in eastern Brazil occurred on Friday, January 25, in the early morning. As a result of the destruction of the structure, a huge amount of sludge and mud was released, which covered the territory and caused the evacuation of residents from the areas located near the mine.

The Corrego do Feijo mine belongs to the Vale SA group, which is the largest iron ore producer in the world. On Tuesday, authorities announced the arrest of five people on suspicion of forging the results of a security check on the dam so that it could continue to be used.

In November 2015, a similar accident occurred in the state of Minas Gerais. A dam at a mine in Mariana, about 120 km from Brumadinho, co-owned by Weil, killed 19 people. It was the worst environmental disaster in Brazilian history.