Plucked Choppers rescue 100 trapped in mud torrent
More than 400 others still missing, feared dead
Red sludge wrecks nearby river system Helicopters land to haul out survivors Crowds gather beside mud poured into a river – raising fears of widespread environmental damage on top of the loss of human life.
A total of 34 deaths were confirmed immediately, but authorities expected the toll to soar in Brumadinho, in the south-east of the country.
TRAPPED
Helicopters evacuated slimecovered survivors while rescue teams brought in earth-moving machinery to search the site.
Colonel Edgar Estevão, the local fire chief, said 100 trapped people had been rescued by yesterday afternoon.
Many other residents in the surrounding district have been evacuated as a safety precaution. Fire brigade spokesman Lieutenant Pedro Aihara said: “Our main worry now is to quickly find out where the missing people are.”
However Romeu Zema, governor of the state of Minas Gerais, said there was little expectation of finding anyone else still alive.
He added: “We know now that the chances of having survivors are minimal and that we will probably rescue bodies.”
It is not clear exactly what caused the dam, owned by Brazil’s largest mining company Vale, to burst.
Vale released a list of the names of 412 employees