Another dam in Brazil could collapse at any time

The Brazilian mining company Vale has announced that one of its dams could collapse at any time in the southeast of the state of Minas Gerais, for which the authorities have already ordered the. evacuation of neighboring communities.

Vale on Friday raised the level of danger in mine waste to three, the highest level. According to the Brazilian Ministry of Energy and Mines, this level means "that a break is imminent or has already occurred" at the city's dam. Barão de Cocais.

State authorities had already notified certain communities in February that they were leaving the area, after Vale had raised the level of risk to two, said the company spokeswoman, Cinthia Saito.

Lieutenant-Colonel Flavio Godinho, of the State Department for Civil Defense, told reporters that the authorities are currently evaluating the structure of Barão de Cocais to review the current emergency plan.

"Any activity on the dike could cause a break," said Godinho on television World

The announcement occurs almost two months after the fall of another dam operated by the same company in city ​​of Brumadinho, spilling a toxic mud that killed at least 186 people, although 300 people were mentioned.

The type of structure used to contain the mining waste in Brumadinho is identical to that currently used in Barão de Cocais, located about 150 kilometers away.

State authorities banned construction last month, but companies have been given a 90-day deadline to submit their plans to replace the dams three years from now.

Vale said in a statement that the process of replacing 10 of these dams had already begun.