The death toll from the collapse of a tailings dam in Brumadinho, Brazil’s southeastern state of Minas Gerais, reached 99 on Wednesday, with 259 people still missing. With the smells of livestock and chemical substances filled in the air, the site of the collapsed dam has seen several firefighters searching for bodies, even though the possibility of finding people alive is widely regarded as very remote. The tailings dam, which belongs to Vale, has a large amount of deposits of wastes and chemical substances. After the dam collapsed, it has added up the possibility of chemical pollution and poisoning. The Vale has announced that it will clear away 10 other tailings dams just like the one that collapsed.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 31, 2019 15:22 UTC