Brazil plans to indict iron ore mining company in connection with mine accident

The Brazilian prosecutor's office has decided to open a criminal case against the Brazilian mining company Vale SA and its employees in connection with the collapse of the dam in January this year, which killed hundreds of people.

Investigators have gathered enough evidence to confirm that Vale workers involved in the mine's operations knew the dam was unsafe, the report said, citing prosecutor Jose Adersio Leite Sampaio, who is leading the investigation.

“At the moment we know that the operator knew that the dam was at risk of collapse, but did the directors of Vale SA know?” - said Sampaio in an interview with the magazine.

Disaster-related crime charges can range from murder to manslaughter, environmental damage, and misconceptions about the state of the mine, according to the report.