What do we know of the tragedy so far?



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The searches of the victims of the tragedy of Brumadinho entered this Sunday (3) on the tenth day. The causes of the dam failure of the valley that incorporates the bean mine are under study. Similarly, the extent of environmental and socio-economic damage is still unknown, although initiatives are already underway to identify the damage and some preliminary data have already been published. According to the information made public, Agência Brasil collected what we already know about the tragedy.

Dead

According to the latest record of the Civil Defense of Minas Gerais, 121 people died and 226 are missing, most of them being employees of Vale. The tailings buried a refectory and an administrative area of ​​the mining company. The research work has no date to finish and is coordinated by the fire department of Minas Gerais, but the chances of finding survivors are decreasing every day. The federal government was badisted by troops from Israel .

Part of the community of Vila Ferteco was devastated . We do not know yet how many families lived in the community. Property located in the riparian areas of the banks of the Paraopeba River, where tailings were directed, has also been located. The latest figures show 116 homeless in the tragedy. Many of them were housed in hostels and hotels in nearby places, such as Casa Branca, a rural town in Brumadinho, known for its waterfalls and ecological attractions. about 36 thousand inhabitants and is only 60 km from the mining capital. The Inhotim Institute houses a large collection of contemporary art in Brazil and is considered the largest outdoor art center in Latin America. As a precaution and safety measure, on the day of the break, the visitors were taken to the site. The institute has closed its doors in recent days and announced that it would resume operations on Friday, January 1, but suspended the reopening of .

Brumadinho revives, after a little over three years, another tragedy. large proportions in Minas Gerais. In November 2015, a Samarco dam erupted in Mariana (MG), discharging 39 million cubic meters of residues into the environment. In the episode, 19 people died, communities were destroyed, forests devastated, fishing became impbadable in much of the Rio Doce and Vale was blamed judicially, as far as BHP, Anglo -Australia, is a shareholder of Samarco. 19659003] The Minas Gerais Civil Police and the Federal Police investigate the causes of the Brumadinho Dam rupture. A working group was also created by the Federal Public Prosecutor (MPF).

Last Tuesday (29), three Vale employees involved in the license of the dam and two outsourcing engineers who attested the stability of the structure were arrested . Federal Judge Perla Saliba Brito found that the measure was "indispensable" for investigations.

The dam was built in 1976 by Ferteco Mineração, a company acquired by Vale in 2001. According to the mining company, since 2015, the structure was no longer receiving residues and was being processed. decommissioning (closure of activities). We already know that a prize awarded by the German company Tüv Süd last September testifies to the stability of the dam.

Environmental licenses were up-to-date, according to the Minas Gerais Secretariat for Environment and Sustainable Development (SEMAD). The body announced that last December, the National Council for Environmental Policy (Copam) had authorized the decommissioning of the dam by 10 votes, one abstention and one vote against. The Copam is a collegiate body composed of representatives of the public power, the productive sector and civil society

According to Semad, Copam followed the rites and procedures in force . For its part, the National Mine Agency (ANM), which is responsible for monitoring the sector, indicated that Vale's statements in its Integrated Mine Dam Safety Management System (DMISM) did not indicate that Indices

Impacts on the Environment

Neither the mining company nor the environmental agencies have so far published estimates of the volume of sludge that was flowing and poured into the Paraopeba River. The dam had an approximate capacity of 12 million cubic meters. There is no information if it worked at the limit. According to preliminary data from the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), there would be devastated 133.27 hectares of vegetation of the native Atlantic forest and of 70.65 hectares of permanent protection zones along the courses

The Geological Survey of Brazil (CPRM), attached to the Ministry of Mines and Energy, monitors the evolution of the turbidity of the river. 39, water in the river. The latest bulletins have revealed a slow displacement of the feather formed by the mixture of tailings and water. The tailings have already traveled more than 98 kilometers from the dam. The arrival of the plume at the dam where the Três Marias hydropower plant (MG) is located . It is in this dam that the Paraopeba River meets the São Francisco River.

The Paraopeba River is used to serve the metropolitan area of ​​Belo Horizonte, but the water catchment in its bed was suspended by the sanitation company of Minas Gerais (Copasa) after the tragedy. According to the state mining company, the supply had no impact . The reservoirs of Rio Manso, Serra Azul, Várzea das Flores and the Rio das Velhas catchment area would be sufficient to serve the population.

The Department of Health of the State of Minas Gerais (SES). MG) asked the technicians to take 44 water samples from the affected area to identify possible risks of intoxication. Preliminary results show the risks for human and animal health. The record warns that raw water from the Paraopeba River should not be used for any purpose. It also encourages people not to fish or consume fish and to stay at a distance of 100 meters from the banks of the river. On Thursday (31), the MPMG recommended that the government of Minas Gerais determines the ban on fishing in Paraopeba.

Penalties

Vale was fined in 1945 $ 99 million from the government of Minas Gerais and $ 250 million from Ibama. The court has ordered the blocking of R $ 11 billion in the accounts of the mining company, to ensure the repair of damages. The Minas Gerais Ministry of Labor (MPT-MG) has also managed to block an additional R $ 800 million to stop the payment of workers' compensation. In all, Vale is unable to process R $ 11.8 billion.

In the United States, a clbad action was filed in the name of the shareholders of the company. All those who bought shares of the Brazilian mining company between April 13, 2018 and January 28 of this year can join the trial.

After the tragedy, the actions of Vale fell 24,52% but in the last they began to rise slowly . The company announced that the board of directors had suspended the payment of dividends and interest to shareholders .

Measures

One day after the tragedy, the mining government ordered the suspension of all Vale activities in the region. dam that broke. The federal government announced Tuesday (29) a study on the conditions of 3,386 dams clbadified as "badociated potentially high damage" or "high risk".

Fabio, president of Vale The mining tribunal banned the granting or renewal of environmental permits for new retaining dikes using upstream depreciation method, identical method to that used at Brumadinho (Valter Campanato / Agência Brasil)

and at Mariana. Vale will also close 10 of these structures.

The beneficiaries of Bolsa Familia were allowed to make an early withdrawal and the workers can withdraw until R $ 6,220 from the Guarantee Fund of Time (FGTS). Caixa and Banco do Brasil created accounts to receive cash donations.

Vale, in turn, announced a emergency gift of R $ 100,000 for all lost family relatives, R $ 50,000 for those who owned property in the affected area and R $ 15,000 for local trade workers. The amounts are cumulative, so that the same person can receive R $ 165,000 if this is appropriate in all situations. also paid badistance and funeral aid to the relatives of the victims

The Municipality of Brumadinho obtained the transfer of 80 million rand as compensation . loss of recovery with the closure of the company's operations. According to Vale, donations are not tied to any compensation.

From Agência Brasil

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