Death toll in Brazil dam collapse rises to 40 with hundreds missing
- 5 years ago
The death toll from the collapse of a dam in southeastern Brazil has risen to 40... as rescuers struggle with rain and deep mud.
The local fire department Saturday afternoon, local time, estimated there were still around 300 other people still missing.
The dam at an iron mine gave way without warning on Friday, covering the city of Brumadinho with mud and mining debris.
President Jair Bolsonaro has called it a tragedy, and other officials have vowed to punish those responsible.
The government has blocked more than a billion and a half U.S. dollars belonging to Vale , the company that runs the mine, to pay for rescue operations and support for the victims.
Back in 2015, the collapse of another dam, run in part by the same company, caused Brazil's worst-ever environmental disaster.
The local fire department Saturday afternoon, local time, estimated there were still around 300 other people still missing.
The dam at an iron mine gave way without warning on Friday, covering the city of Brumadinho with mud and mining debris.
President Jair Bolsonaro has called it a tragedy, and other officials have vowed to punish those responsible.
The government has blocked more than a billion and a half U.S. dollars belonging to Vale , the company that runs the mine, to pay for rescue operations and support for the victims.
Back in 2015, the collapse of another dam, run in part by the same company, caused Brazil's worst-ever environmental disaster.