After the breakage of a dam in the South of Brazil, a mudslide killed on Friday at least nine people. In addition, 150 people were missing, reported the newspaper “O Globo” on early Saturday morning, citing the government of the Brazilian Federal state of Minas Gerais. A total of around 430 people had lived in the area, of which 279 saved. It was feared that the number of victims could still rise significantly.
The brown mud masses that had rolled across parts of an iron ore mine and a residential area, were probably carried away to dozens of other people. Were destroyed and the roofs of houses, as well as excavators in the iron ore mine.
The President of the group, Vale, the iron ore mine, said of the 300 or so workers in the Mine only about 100 according to the dam break had been found. How it came exactly to the time of the accident, could not be explained, said Vale President Fábio Schvartsman.
On the pictures to see how to use forces in a helicopter tried to rescue a woman and a man. The help-seekers were both completely covered with mud. The man stood up to the torso in the brown water and carried the woman in the direction of the Savior. Other recordings excavator showed in the iron ore mine Córrego de Feijao, covered with mud, rocks and Branches. The avalanche pushed the tracks of freight containers for the iron ore railway.
On aerial photographs, the extent of the disaster became visible, the mud avalanche had opened up for miles your way. The brown sludge flood also reached the residential area of Vila Forteco and buried partially complete houses. Around 100 firefighters were on Friday night (local time). On Saturday morning, the number of use of force should be doubled, according to local media.
Similar disaster in 2015
Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro said, the National water Agency coordination measures to the supply of the cities to ensure that water from the nearby Paraopeba river used to get, the had also been of the mud-avalanche hit. He’ll fly over the Region to see the damage. It will done everything Possible to a pollution of the environment to contain and help the families of possible victims. The Minister of the environment was on the way to the area, wrote the President on Twitter. The three-Minister for civil protection, development and mining were on the way. The Ministry of the environment of the South American country said that a crisis staff had been set up.
the inhabitants of the state of Minas Gerais, the dam burst roused bad memories. In 2015, there was a similar misfortune. In the case of the “tragedy of Mariana” it came in a iron ore mine to a dam failure of a retention basin. 19 people were killed. Sludge with toxins flooded adjacent towns and contaminated the river Rio Doce (“Sweet river”) to 650 kilometers in length. The water was dyed partially red.
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