Fears for 400 after mine dam collapses
HELICOPTER rescue teams were desperately searching yesterday for survivors after a dam collapsed in Brazil, swamping a mining complex in a sea of mud.
At least 34 people were confirmed dead last night and more than 400 were missing.
Though 279 people had been rescued, hope was fading for others, with state governor Romeu Zema saying: ‘Most likely, from now on we are mostly going to be recovering bodies.’
The disaster happened at the Corrego do Feijao iron ore mine in the state of Minas Gerais. Workers at the mine, owned by Brazilian company Vale, were eating lunch on Friday when the dam collapsed, triggering a mudslide.
Vale chief executive Fabio Schvartsman said it was not known what caused the dam to fail.