VALE : a dam burst at Vale mine in Brazil

• SÃO PAULO—Brazilian iron ore giant Vale SA said Friday a dam burst at its Mina Feijão mining operation in the town of Brumadinho, in the state of Minas Gerais. There was no immediate confirmation of any injuries, the company said.
• Update Sun 1/27/19:  Alarms sounded early on Sunday near Brumadinho, Brazil signaling dangerously high water levels at a nearby dam within the same complex of the one that ruptured on Friday, killing at least 58 and leaving more than 300 missing, Sky News reported. Heavy rains are said to have put an additional strain on the second dam, and nearly 24,000 people have been ordered to evacuate in case it erupts.
• Some residents are calling the break a result of negligence on the part of Vale, who administer another dam in the same state as Bruamdinho, Minas Gerais, which ruptured in 2015. Nineteen people were killed and hundreds were displaced from their homes, in what was previously considered the worst environmental disaster in Brazilian history.

25 January 2019, Brazil, Brumadinho: People observe the mud masses after the break of a dam at the Feijão iron ore mine.

An aerial view shows a collapsed bridge caused by flooding triggered by a dam collapse near Brumadinho, Brazil, Friday, Jan. 25, 2019.

An aerial view shows a partially destroyed house after a dam collapsed, in Brumadinho, Brazil, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019.

Rescue efforts have been suspended after a devastating dam collapse in Brazil amid fears of a further breach, it was revealed on Sunday (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

BRASILIA, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Neighbors of an iron ore mine belonging to Brazilian miner Vale SA were evacuated on Friday in southeastern Minas Gerais state, when a tailings dam ruptured, pouring out mud into the surrounding area, the company and authorities said.

Vale said early indications were that leaked tailings from the Corrego de Feijao mine had spread into its administrative area and to parts of the local community Vila Forteco, near the town of Brumadinho.

The local authorities and Vale said they had no confirmed reports of fatalities in the area.

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Luciano Siani Pires, Vale's Chief Financial (since August 2012) (Photo 7 Oct 2020)