Steel Products Prices North America
January 26, 2019
Vale Dam Bursts in Brazil
Written by Sandy Williams
A dam belonging to Brazil mining company Vale collapsed on Friday, killing numerous people and leaving hundreds missing. The dam, holding byproducts from the Feijao mining operation Brumadinho in Minas Gerai, released a torrent of sludge on the dam complex and nearby farms and neighborhoods. Approximately 300 Vale employees were working at the site when the dam burst. Systems designed to alert workers of an impending incident failed to work, according to press reports. The cause of the breach is unknown.
As of Saturday morning, 40 people were confirmed dead and hundreds still unaccounted for. Rescue teams are searching for victims trapped in the mud and evacuating them by helicopter. Concerns that a second Vale dam in the the vicinity might breach, prompted authorities on Sunday to began evacuating neighborhoods in the southeastern city of Brumadinho.
