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The breach of the dam has flooded mine debris and mud from part of the state of Minas Gerais, in the southeastern part of the country, covering the city of Brumadinho, according to footage from CNN's affiliated channel, Record TV. .
The state governor, Romeu Zema, said Saturday three days of mourning, according to a statement issued by the government of Minas Gerais. He also thanked all the agencies that came to help during the disaster.
The video of the scene showed helicopters floating above the ground as firemen pulled people out of the mud and took them away.
The latest victims were registered by the Minas Gerais fire department, which conducts search and rescue operations. According to firefighters, of the 34 confirmed deaths, 22 bodies were found.
Research efforts have stopped Saturday at 8 pm, the fire department said, and will resume Sunday at 4 pm. The reason for this is, said the department, because of the increased flow of one of the dams being dewatered to avoid the risk of another possible bursting. In addition, heavy rains have been a problem for life-saving aircraft.
The ministry said it understands that the possibility of finding people alive is diminishing over time and that it will continue to search until all victims are found.
The civil defense agency and firefighters confirmed the discovery of 366 people and the disappearance of 256 people. The fire department also said 23 people are in the hospital and four were released.
The state judicial system has also frozen more than 260 million dollars from Vale, a presiding judge citing the company's responsibility in the disaster. The money will be deposited on a court account to offset any potential costs to the state as a result of rescue or victim badistance operations. The state of Minas Gerais has fined Vale $ 99 million for dam damage and said the money would be used for repairs.
Minister Augusto Heleno of the Institutional Security Cabinet and Attorney General André Mendonca held a press conference on Saturday to discuss the dam's rupture. Heleno said that municipal and state governments are fully capable of providing badistance during this period of emergency.
Heleno confirmed that the financial aid would be granted both directly to the local population and governments, but he did not specify the exact amounts or how the funds will be distributed.
At the press conference, officials said the dam that had erupted was not clbadified as high risk. Mendonca said Vale was responsible for the disaster, but the extent of the damage is unknown.
At the press conference it was made clear that the priority now is to help the victims and their families. After that, officials said that they would focus on environmental damage and the mining process.
In order to find the missing persons, the Federal Attorney General's Office has obtained an injunction from the Federal Court of Minas Gerais that mobile operators should provide data from mobile phone signals of people in the area where the dam had burst.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro flew over the scene on Saturday morning and met the governor of Minas Gerais, Romeu Zema, before returning to the capital.
"It's hard to watch this whole scenario and not be moved," tweeted Bolsonaro on Saturday.
"Beyond all I can imagine"
A "breach" on Friday caused a spill of mine debris into the mine's administrative area, where employees were working, according to Vale. Authorities said Friday that 427 people were in the iron mine when the dam broke out.
Karolainy Stefany de Jesus, 21, lives near the area hit by the dam. She received a call from her uncle, who works in Vale, and went to the affected area to see if she could find relatives. She told CNN on Saturday that all she had found was a scene of desperation.
"I could only see people screaming and screaming," she said. "The sirens did not work, only people shouting to advise others, everyone was desperate."
The niece of De Jesus, Cristina Paula, is absent and does not appear on any list. Paula was working at the Nova Instancia Hotel, which was engulfed by muddy water during the dam breakup. De Jesus told two hotel survivors that the employees did not have time to advise anyone because "they could only save their lives".
"It's devastating, everyone here is shocked, no one expects that to happen," de Jesus said.
Authorities expect to contain muddy tailings, called "residues," within two days, according to the National Water Agency of Brazil. That's all the time it takes for the mud to reach the Retiro Baixo hydroelectric dam, located 220 km away, the agency added.
Water agency officials "monitor tailings" and "coordinate actions" to provide quality water to the affected region, he added.
In a corporate video, Fabio Schvartsman, head of Vale, apologized Friday for "all affected people and all Brazilian society".
"Unfortunately, the dam break (today) has occurred – it is inexcusable," said Schvartsman, adding that Vale "will do everything possible" to help the victims.
"What I just lived is beyond anything I could imagine," he said.
He also said that the company had made "considerable efforts" to improve its dams, especially after the Mariana mining disaster.
Vale claims to have provided more than one million liters of drinking water to those affected by the dam failure.
The company also claimed to have accommodated more than 800 people, as well as 40 ambulances and a rescue helicopter. Employees worked with volunteers to rescue and identify victims, the company said.
Israeli plane arrived Saturday with equipment to help search, rescue and identify victims as possible survivors, said Brazilian government
The United Nations system in Brazil also offered support, expressing "deep sorrow and solidarity with the families" of the victims.
"The UN regrets the loss of life immeasurable and the considerable damage to the environment and human settlements," said a statement. "The United Nations system is available to support the actions of the Brazilian authorities to quickly remove the victims and create dignified conditions for the potential homeless and the affected population.
"The rigorous investigation into the facts that led to this tragedy," he added, "will be followed closely by Brazilians and the international community."
Dakin Andone and Amir Vera of CNN wrote and wrote in Atlanta, while Marcia Reverdosa made a report in São Paulo. CNN's Flora Charner and Hira Humayun contributed to this report.
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