But as he watched, a wall of mud unleashed by the collapse of a mining dam swallowed his co-workers, he said. Instead, the structure, known as an upstream tailings dam, relied on the lake of mud to remain solid enough to contain itself. And the dam just crumbles up.” N TOP VIEW OF THE DAM The mud tailings started to liquefy and flow down the valley. And the dam just crumbles up.” N TOP VIEW OF THE DAM The mud tailings started to liquefy and flow down the valley. Atlantic Ocean BRAZIL Site of dam collapse Rio de Janeiro São Paulo Upstream mining dams near populated areas Upstream mining dams Atlantic Ocean BRAZIL Upstream dams near populated areas Site of dam collapse Upstream dam Atlantic Ocean BRAZIL Site of dam collapse Upstream mining dams near populated areas Upstream mining dams By Scott Reinhard | Source: Agência Nacional de MineraçãoSome of these poorly rated dams lie directly upstream from populated areas, an analysis by The Times found.

Source: New York Times February 09, 2019 09:56 UTC