142 dead following the break-up of a Brazilian dam | Chronic

The toll of the victims of the rupture of a dam in an iron mine in the city of Brumadinho, in southeastern Brazil, has been increased to 142, while the number of missing persons has fallen to 194, according to the latest report published by the local Civil Defense.

Research began early Tuesday morning with the participation of some 400 men, including firefighters, army soldiers and volunteers.

According to the report, 22 points in the affected region were explored during the day with the help of "10 helicopters" and supported by "boats and earthmovers", the mud being up to 20 meters high. in certain areas.

The tragedy occurred on January 25, when one of the dams where mineral waste was stored in a complex of the Brazilian mining giant Vale in Brumadinho, municipality of Minas Gerais, collapsed and generated an avalanche that buried the facilities of hundreds of rural properties, Efe reported.

In the judicial field, the Brazilian justice ordered the release by precaution of the five people arrested on January 29, accused of having "falsified documents about the safety of the dam that broke"

The case instructor, magistrate Nefi Cordeiro, considered that the two engineers of the German company Tüv Süd and the three employees of the mining company Vale "already declared in court and offering no risk to society", For what"there is no proper foundation for prisons"

As a result of several actions interposed between the regional government and the prosecutor's office, the court seized about 12 billion reals (about 3,260 million dollars) Vale's accounts.guarantee the payment of compensation to the victims and damages caused"Vale announced last week its closure"all dams built with the same method as Brumadinho", that is,"waste themselves and land in the area"