Tragedy in Mina Gerais: Five engineers arrested after stating that the dam was safe

On Tuesday, Brazilian authorities ordered the arrest of five engineers as part of investigations into the mining tragedy in the state of Minas Gerais, which left 65 dead and 279 missing.

The prosecutor and the police on Tuesday launched the "operation" to investigate the criminal responsibility for the breakage of existing dams in the Córrego do Feijao mine, maintained by Vale, "said the Minas Gerais Public Prosecutor's Office in a note.

All were arrested this morning, two in Sao Paulo and three others in Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais.

Three of the inmates were Vale employees "directly involved and responsible for the mining company and its license".

While two others work for the German company TÜV SÜD who recently certified the dam's stability on Friday, causing a mudslide and mine waste that swept through the entire Vale complex and part of the town of Brumadinho in a matter of seconds.

The German company TÜV SÜD guaranteed its stability in September 2018. On Saturday, TÜV SÜD confirmed having carried out this inspection, indicating that "according to the known elements to date, no defect has been found".

"The prison has been decreed for a period of 30 days and all prisoners will be heard by the public prosecutor in Minas Gerais," the statement said.

Search and seizure orders were also issued to gather information on the case and investigate the causes of the disaster.

In another statement, Vale said it "fully cooperates with the authorities." Vale will continue to contribute to the investigations, as well as unconditional support to affected families. "

Source: TN

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