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posted by martyb on Saturday January 26 2019, @04:03AM   Printer-friendly
from the waste dept.

Brazil Dam Collapse: Hundreds Missing after Mining Disaster:

As many as 200 people are missing after three dams operated by the mining giant Vale collapsed in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, releasing a wave of red mining waste and prompting fears of widespread contamination.

At least 50 people died in the disaster on Friday, Avimar de Melo, mayor of the nearby town of Brumadinho told the Hoje em Dia newspaper. "We don't have any more details because it's all happening very quickly," he said.

Brazilian television showed images of survivors being winched to safety by a helicopter after the disaster at the Feijão mine near Brumadinho, less than two hours from the state capital, Belo Horizonte.

Among those missing were 100 mine workers who were having lunch in an administrative area when it was hit by a torrent of sludge and water, said a fire brigade spokesman, Lieutenant Pedro Aihara.

"Our main worry now is to quickly find out where the missing people are," Aihara said on GloboNews cable television channel.

Videos shared on social media showed houses buried in the mud and local media reported that the nearby Inhotim outdoor art complex had been evacuated though not affected.

The dam collapse came less than four years after Brazil's worst environmental disaster was caused by the failure of a tailings dam at Mariana in the same state. That dam was operated by Samarco, which at the time of the disaster was half-owned by Vale.

"I don't have words to describe my suffering, my enormous sadness, my disappointment in what has just happened. It is beyond anything you can imagine," Vale's CEO, Fabio Schvartsman, said in an address on YouTube.

He said the company had made an "enormous effort" to make its tailings dams safe after the Mariana disaster. "The whole of Vale will do whatever is possible to help the people affected," he said.

Also at BBC and U.S. News & World Report.


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  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by iru on Saturday January 26 2019, @09:55AM (1 child)

    by iru (6596) on Saturday January 26 2019, @09:55AM (#792255)

    What the hell are you saying? Brazilmarket has extremely burdensome marketregulations. If anything is to blame are collusion’s between government and mining companies and that doesn’t sound free market at all. Please get a grip.

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  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by MostCynical on Saturday January 26 2019, @10:22AM

    by MostCynical (2589) on Saturday January 26 2019, @10:22AM (#792257) Journal

    So, we have some demanding *less* regulation, whih patently doesn't work
    We have others demanding more regulation, which only works if there is effective enforcment and minimal corruption.

    "Market forces" include corruption.. Selling out is still selling.

    More corruption seems to lead to larger numbers of lives lost when things go wrong (or "right"- look at lead in fuel)

    --
    "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex