Brazil dam tragedy: 34 confirmed dead after horror collapse as fears grow for hundreds still missing

Officials have confirmed the new toll this evening
EPA
Jacob Jarvis26 January 2019

The death toll from Friday's horrific dam collapse in Brazil has hit 34, officials have confirmed.

This more than trebles the previous figure of 10.

Some 300 people were classed as missing following the tragedy.

However, their chances of survival have been described in ominous terms.

"Unfortunately, at this point, the chances of finding survivors are minimal. We're likely to just be recovering bodies," Romeu Zema, governor of Minas Gerais, told local media.

In a previous statement, officials set the number of missing to roughly 300 people, after 46 were found alive.

The disaster saw a torrent of sludge break through a dam, just north east of the town of Brumadinho.

Officials said up to 150 of the people missing worked for Vale’s administrative offices which were closest to the disused dam, at the iron-ore mine close to the city of Belo Horizonte.

Rescue crew work in a dam owned by Brazilian miner Vale SA that burst
REUTERS

After this news, Brazilian environmental agency Ibama stated it has fined miner Vale SA 250 million reais, around £50million.

This was for various violations related to the incident.

Parts of the city were evacuated while firefighters were rescuing people following the tragedy.

The damn owned by Brazilian miner Vale SA that burst
REUTERS

Helicopters were used in their efforts, which were pictured pulling people covered in mud out of the sludge.

Photos showed rooftops of structures poking above an extensive field of mud.

The aftermath also saw roads cut off.

Vale CEO Fabio Schvartsman said the dam in the state of Minas Gerais had a capacity of two million cubic meters and was being decommissioned.

Previously, he said equipment had shown the dam was stable on January 10 and it was too soon to say why it collapsed.

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