Feb 4, 2021:
Brazil’s Vale signs $7 billion settlement in mining disaster | Associated Press
Feb 11, 2019:
The total number of deaths is at least 165.
The Reuters international news organization gained access to an internal Vale document that stated the Brumadinho dam had an elevated risk of rupture. The document, entitled "Geotechnical Risk Management Results" and dated October 3, 2018, said that the annual chance of a Brumadinho dam failure was 1 in 5,000, which is twice the tolerable maximum level of risk.
The report placed the Brumadinho dam in an "attention zone", said a dam failure could cost Vale $1.5 billion, and that over 100 people could be killed.
Although the Brumadinho dam was declared sound by an independent auditor in September of last year, the report identified static liquefaction and internal erosion as the most likely causes of a potential failure. Liquefaction was the cause of the November 7, 2015 dam collapse near the Brazilian town of Mariana.
Source:
Eisenhammer, Stephen. (February 11, 2019). "Exclusive: Brazil miner Vale knew deadly dam had heightened risk of collapse". Reuters. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
Feb 2, 2019:
The death toll from the January 25 Brumadinho dam collapse rose to 121.
Brazil dam collapse death toll rises to 121 | Associated Press
The city of Brumadinho is in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. The mining industry has been the economic and cultural center of the state for centuries. According to Minas Gerais state deputy Joao Vitor Xavier, this is the reason the state has been lenient with the mining industry and why it puts profit before safety.
Other issues that may have contributed to the dam collapse include (1) short staffing for mine regulation, and (2) a new law implemented in 2015 which puts dam licensing in the hands of a board more sympathetic to the mining industry and less to the environment.
The CEO of Vale, Flavio Schvartsman, acknowledged there are problems with the current regulations and rules.
Arrest warrants have been issued for five people responsible for safety inspections of the dam. Of the five, three are Vale employees.
Source:
Jean Kaiser, Anna. (February 2, 2019). "Deadly Brazil dam collapse was disaster waiting to happen". Associated Press. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
Feb 1, 2019:
The death toll from the January 25 Brumadinho dam collapse rose to 115.
Brazil pays homage to victims of dam collapse; toll hits 115 | Associated Press
Jan 30, 2019:
Waste unleashed from Brazil dam on its way to a larger river | Aljazeera
Jan 29, 2019:
Five arrests were made in connection with the January 25 Brumadinho dam collapse, including three Vale employees and two employees of the German-based company TUEV Sued (the company that recently inspected the dam).
Downstream of the dam collapse, living along the banks of the Paraopeba River, the Pataxo Indians were told by Brazilian officials to not fish, bathe, or use water from the river to cultivate crops.
Vale is the world's largest producer of iron ore.
Source:
Silva De Sousa, Marcelo; Prengaman, Peter. (January 29, 2019). "Arrests in Brazil dam disaster, dead fish wash up downstream". Associated Press. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
Both the Córrego do Feijão dam in Brumadinho and the Fundão dam in Mariana were built with upstream method technology. According to experts this is the least costly but also the least safe method (the dry containment method is more safe).
Source:
De Sá, Gabriel. (January 29, 2019). "Brazil's deadly dam disaster may have been preventable". National Geographic. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
Jan 27, 2019:
The death toll from the January 25 Brumadinho dam collapse rose to 58 with 305 still missing.
The dam that broke two days ago was recently certified as "stable". According to two professors at local universities, the problem with dam certification is that mining companies contract with auditors of their choice, and the companies provide all of the documentation that auditors use to analyze the condition of a dam.
A task force to investigate the dam collapse was announced by Brazil's attorney general Raquel Dodge. Judges ordered Vale to set aside about $2.9 billion to pay for damages.
Source:
Andreoni, Manuela; Darlington, Shasta. (January 27, 2019). "As 2nd Brazil Dam Threatens to Collapse, Death Toll Rises to 58". The New York Times. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
Jan 25, 2019:
A dam breach at the Córrego do Feijão iron mine in the city of Brumadinho, Brazil unleashed an avalanche of waste mud leaving seven people dead and 150 missing.
Vale, the company managing the mine, said there were 427 people at the site when the dam collapsed, 279 of whom have been rescued and about 150 others who are missing.
The Brazilian National Water Agency (ANA) said it will be possible to contain the waste once it reaches the Retiro Baixo hydroelectric dam, 135 miles (220 kilometers) from the site of the breach. ANA also said it was monitoring the situation and coordinating actions regarding water quality in the affected regions.
Source:
Charner, Flora; Vera, Amir; Humayun, Hira. (January 25, 2019). "Mine dam collapses in Brazil; 7 bodies found, but 150 still missing". CNN. Retrieved 2019-02-03.
On November 7, 2015, the Fundao mining dam operated by the company Samarco collapsed near the Brazilian town of Mariana (see below).
Nov 7, 2015:
Dam break sweeps away homes in Brazil, killing at least 1 person | CNN
More:
- Brumadinho dam collapse is the world's worst since Mariana | The Brazilian Report
- Samarco dam collapse: one year on from Brazil's worst environmental disaster | The Guardian
- Brazil's Fundao dam collapse: The silence after the mud | Aljazeera
- Animas River in Colorado Contaminated by Gold King Mine Wastewater | Health and Wellness Resource