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| At least 15 dead after Brazil iron mine dam bursts and floods nearby homes | At least 15 dead after Brazil iron mine dam bursts and floods nearby homes |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A dam has burst at an iron ore mine in south-eastern Brazil, killing at least 15 people, submerging nearby homes and burying vehicles. | A dam has burst at an iron ore mine in south-eastern Brazil, killing at least 15 people, submerging nearby homes and burying vehicles. |
| Forty-five people were still missing after the disaster in Minas Gerais state, a local union told the G1 news portal. | Forty-five people were still missing after the disaster in Minas Gerais state, a local union told the G1 news portal. |
| Video footage on the G1 website showed houses of a village destroyed by muddy tailings waters that surged down valleys in the hilly region of the mines. | Video footage on the G1 website showed houses of a village destroyed by muddy tailings waters that surged down valleys in the hilly region of the mines. |
| There was no official confirmation on the number of dead and missing. The civil defence agency of Minas Gerais state said one body had been recovered. | |
| The city council told Brazil’s Globo News it was evacuating about 600 people to higher ground from the village of Bento Rodrigues, about 7km (just over 4 miles) beneath the dam that burst, which was flooded as a result of the accident. | |
| The mining company Samarco, a joint venture between Brazil’s Vale and Australia’s BHP, said in a statement it had not yet determined why the dam burst or the extent of the disaster at its Germano mine near the town of Mariana. | The mining company Samarco, a joint venture between Brazil’s Vale and Australia’s BHP, said in a statement it had not yet determined why the dam burst or the extent of the disaster at its Germano mine near the town of Mariana. |
| Vale directed media questions to Samarco, while BHP did not immediately respond to requests for comment. | Vale directed media questions to Samarco, while BHP did not immediately respond to requests for comment. |
| Authorities said the dam was built to hold back water and residue from mining operations, a mixture that can often be toxic. The dam was holding so-called tailings, a mining waste product of metal filings, water and occasionally chemicals. It was located near a river, fueling fears of potential water contamination. | |
| Rescue teams were searching for survivors or bodies, and residents living nearby were told to evacuate to higher ground. | Rescue teams were searching for survivors or bodies, and residents living nearby were told to evacuate to higher ground. |
| Samarco said in a statement on its website that it was making “every effort to prioritize care to people and mitigate damage to the environment”. | Samarco said in a statement on its website that it was making “every effort to prioritize care to people and mitigate damage to the environment”. |
| “It is not possible at this moment to confirm a cause … nor if there are victims,” it added. | “It is not possible at this moment to confirm a cause … nor if there are victims,” it added. |
| Police, firefighters and city officials also said they could not confirm any victims. | Police, firefighters and city officials also said they could not confirm any victims. |
| A statement from the city hall of Mariana, a city of about 40,000 people 300km (185 miles) north of Rio de Janeiro, said the dam ruptured at 4.20pm in an area roughly 20km from the city centre. | |
| The disaster comes as both Vale and BHP are battling a collapse in iron ore prices and a wider slump in the industry. | |
| The Germano mine is a 50-50 joint venture between the world’s largest iron miner and the largest mining company. | |
| Iron ore is transported down a slurry pipe to Espirito Santo in south-eastern Brazil, where it is turned into pellets. Samarco produces around 30 million tonnes per year, according to its website. | |
| Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. |