Brazilian miner Vale said on Thursday it had reached a 37.7 billion real ($7 billion) agreement with prosecutors and the state of Minas Gerais to settle claims stemming from the collapse of a mining dam in 2019 which killed 270 people.

Brazil's Vale agrees to $7 billion Brumadinho disaster settlement

Residents of the normally sleepy Brazilian town of Brumadinho turned out on the sreets for a vigil to remember the hundreds killed on the eve of the two year anniversary when a nearby dam collapsed and the world joined Brazil to watch in horror as first images emerged.

Brazilians hold vigil for anniversary of dam collapse that killed hundreds

The toll from a dam collapse last week at a mine in southeast Brazil has risen to 115 dead and 248 missing, according to officials Saturday.

The emergency service for the state of Minas Gerais, where the January 25 disaster occurred near the town of Brumadinho, said the search was ongoing for bodies.

All those listed as missing are presumed dead, with no survivors being found over the past week.&nbsp;

Virtually all the dead and missing were workers at the iron ore mine, buried under an avalanche of sludgy mining waste when the dam collapsed above the facility's cafeteria and main administrative area.

It was the second dam disaster in three years at a mine owned by Brazilian mining giant Vale.

Authorities have frozen over $3 billion in company assets in anticipation it will pay damages, compensation and fines.

The toll from a dam collapse last week at a mine in southeast Brazil has risen to 115 dead and 248 missing, according to officials Saturday. The emergency service for the state of Minas Gerais, where the January 25 disaster occurred near the town of Brumadinho, said the search was ongoing for bodies.

The toll from a dam collapse last week at a mine in southeast Brazil has risen to 115 dead and 248 missing, according to officials Saturday. The emergency service for the state of Minas Gerais, where the January 25 disaster occurred near the town of Brumadinho, said the search was ongoing for bodies. All those listed as missing are presumed dead, with no survivors being found over the past week. Virtually all the dead and missing were workers at the iron ore mine, buried under an avalanche of sludgy mining waste when the dam collapsed above the facility's cafeteria and main administrative area. It was the second dam disaster in three years at a mine owned by Brazilian mining giant Vale. Authorities have frozen over $3 billion in company assets in anticipation it will pay damages, compensation and fines.

Toll in Brazil dam disaster rises to 115 dead, 248 missing

Nearly a week after a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/brazil-dam-collapse-death-toll-reaches-99-259-people-still-missing-194168">dam storing mining waste collapsed in southeast Brazil</a>, the human cost is clear, with nearly 350 killed or missing, but the environmental impact is still being evaluated.

Authorities fear the mineral-laced slurry released by the collapse could eventually pollute the Sao Francisco River, the second-longest in Brazil, which hosts various species of fish and has many towns on its banks.

Daily tests carried out by Brazil's national water agency ANA in the Paraopeba tributary, muddied along 200 kilometres&nbsp;by the dam burst, show the presence of metals in the water has spiked to unhealthy levels.

Residents along the riverbanks have already said fish they relied on for food were floating to the surface, dead.

"Most of us here are very rural, riverside people, so we use the Paraopeba River to feed ourselves. It gives us fish, we use it to water our plants, and now we can't do this anymore, so many people have been affected by the dam breaking," one local, Leda de Oliveira, 31, told AFP.

Worst industrial disaster

The latest ANA results showed iron, magnesium and aluminium at worrying levels.

It added that, while trace levels of lead and mercury had initially spiked, they had since fallen to normal counts. Arsenic — another impurity often found in iron ore waste — was not a problem, according to the tests.

But those measured just water quality, and not the way the elements were being absorbed in sediment, food chains and the general ecosystem.

Experts say the real long-term effects of the dam break at the mine, located near the town of Brumadinho and owned by Brazilian mining giant Vale, may not be evident for years.

"Right now there are many unknowns — how toxic is the waste? How mobile are the toxins? Will the waste move again? It is only when these things are known that we will really know how bad this will be," an expert in landslides, Professor David Petley at Britain's University of Sheffield, told AFP.

Immediate action, "very expensive if done properly," was needed to contain the pollution, he said, adding: "There is a lot of waste in the river. There is a risk that this now moves downstream in floods, or that toxins that it releases might move."

While Brumadinho is now considered Brazil's worst-ever industrial accident, given its high likely final death toll, a similar mining dam collapse three years earlier in the same region, near the town of Mariana, remains the country's worst environmental disaster. Its effects are still being measured today.

The dam near Mariana was part of a facility jointly owned by Vale. Nineteen people were killed. Pollution extended for &nbsp;650 kilometres (400 miles) along a river, to the Atlantic Ocean.

The 60 million tons of waste it released was more than four times greater than the 13 million tons held back by the Brumadinho dam. Whole ecosystems affected by the Mariana sludge were killed off.

Both disasters resulted from ruptures of tailings dams — reservoirs of detritus left over from the process of extracting iron ore. Such dams are the cheapest ways to store mining waste, but also the riskiest, as the two successive disasters showed.

Petley said it was to be hoped that measures to contain pollution were better now but added that both disasters were "scandalous failures."

'Recklessness'&nbsp;

Vale started decommissioning its tailings dams in Brazil after the 2015 Mariana disaster and has now accelerated the process for its remaining 10 dams.&nbsp;

But for Brumadinho, where many inhabitants worked at Vale, that process proved tragically slow.&nbsp;

Almost all of the dead and missing were workers at the mine, many buried by the sludge as they were having lunch in the facility's on-site cafeteria.

Many residents accuse the mining giant of putting profits over lives. Graffiti saying "Vale, murderer" has been scrawled on several walls in Brumadinho, and in mud at Vale's headquarters in Rio de Janeiro.

"We are all shaken. This should never have happened. There was a lot of recklessness. Today all of Brumadinho is in mourning," said Gustavo Franca, a 25-year-old real estate agent who lost many friends.

Vale paid dearly for Mariana. It and its partner in the joint venture, Anglo-Australian miner BHP, forked out $6 billion in compensation and fines. But, while 20 executives were charged, none ever went to trial and to date, no one was convicted.

Authorities have frozen $3 billion of Vale's assets to pay for damages from the latest disaster. Lawsuits are bound to follow.

It has also already lost around 20 per cent of its value on the stock market this week.

Nearly a week after a dam storing mining waste collapsed in southeast Brazil, the human cost is clear, with nearly 350 killed or missing, but the environmental impact is still being evaluated.

Nearly a week after a dam storing mining waste collapsed in southeast Brazil, the human cost is clear, with nearly 350 killed or missing, but the environmental impact is still being evaluated. Authorities fear the mineral-laced slurry released by the collapse could eventually pollute the Sao Francisco River, the second-longest in Brazil, which hosts various species of fish and has many towns on its banks. Daily tests carried out by Brazil's national water agency ANA in the Paraopeba tributary, muddied along 200 kilometres by the dam burst, show the presence of metals in the water has spiked to unhealthy levels. Residents along the riverbanks have already said fish they relied on for food were floating to the surface, dead. "Most of us here are very rural, riverside people, so we use the Paraopeba River to feed ourselves. It gives us fish, we use it to water our plants, and now we can't do this anymore, so many people have been affected by the dam breaking," one local, Leda de Oliveira, 31, told AFP. Worst industrial disaster The latest ANA results showed iron, magnesium and aluminium at worrying levels. It added that, while trace levels of lead and mercury had initially spiked, they had since fallen to normal counts. Arsenic — another impurity often found in iron ore waste — was not a problem, according to the tests. But those measured just water quality, and not the way the elements were being absorbed in sediment, food chains and the general ecosystem. Experts say the real long-term effects of the dam break at the mine, located near the town of Brumadinho and owned by Brazilian mining giant Vale, may not be evident for years. "Right now there are many unknowns — how toxic is the waste? How mobile are the toxins? Will the waste move again? It is only when these things are known that we will really know how bad this will be," an expert in landslides, Professor David Petley at Britain's University of Sheffield, told AFP. Immediate action, "very expensive if done properly," was needed to contain the pollution, he said, adding: "There is a lot of waste in the river. There is a risk that this now moves downstream in floods, or that toxins that it releases might move." While Brumadinho is now considered Brazil's worst-ever industrial accident, given its high likely final death toll, a similar mining dam collapse three years earlier in the same region, near the town of Mariana, remains the country's worst environmental disaster. Its effects are still being measured today. The dam near Mariana was part of a facility jointly owned by Vale. Nineteen people were killed. Pollution extended for 650 kilometres (400 miles) along a river, to the Atlantic Ocean. The 60 million tons of waste it released was more than four times greater than the 13 million tons held back by the Brumadinho dam. Whole ecosystems affected by the Mariana sludge were killed off. Both disasters resulted from ruptures of tailings dams — reservoirs of detritus left over from the process of extracting iron ore. Such dams are the cheapest ways to store mining waste, but also the riskiest, as the two successive disasters showed. Petley said it was to be hoped that measures to contain pollution were better now but added that both disasters were "scandalous failures." 'Recklessness' Vale started decommissioning its tailings dams in Brazil after the 2015 Mariana disaster and has now accelerated the process for its remaining 10 dams. But for Brumadinho, where many inhabitants worked at Vale, that process proved tragically slow. Almost all of the dead and missing were workers at the mine, many buried by the sludge as they were having lunch in the facility's on-site cafeteria. Many residents accuse the mining giant of putting profits over lives. Graffiti saying "Vale, murderer" has been scrawled on several walls in Brumadinho, and in mud at Vale's headquarters in Rio de Janeiro. "We are all shaken. This should never have happened. There was a lot of recklessness. Today all of Brumadinho is in mourning," said Gustavo Franca, a 25-year-old real estate agent who lost many friends. Vale paid dearly for Mariana. It and its partner in the joint venture, Anglo-Australian miner BHP, forked out $6 billion in compensation and fines. But, while 20 executives were charged, none ever went to trial and to date, no one was convicted. Authorities have frozen $3 billion of Vale's assets to pay for damages from the latest disaster. Lawsuits are bound to follow. It has also already lost around 20 per cent of its value on the stock market this week.

Deadly Brazil dam collapse raises fears of environmental woes

The death toll from the collapse of a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pictures-local-hero-saves-girl-from-mud-of-brazils-deadly-dam-collapse-194149">tailings dam in Brumadinho</a>, Brazil's southeastern state of Minas Gerais, reached 99 on Wednesday, with 259 people still missing.

The dam ruptured on Friday&nbsp;sent&nbsp;a wave of iron ore waste and mud down the hill, destroying everything in its path, including residential areas, at least two small hotels and a large administrative area of mining giant Vale, owner of the mining complex where the dam was located.

The site of the collapsed dam has seen several firefighters searching for bodies, even though the possibility of finding people alive is widely regarded as very remote.

"Our group members and I searched out two bodies today. The most difficult part is to locate these bodies, as they are covered with mud of same colour; it's so hard to distinguish. Identifying human remains is quite difficult and is an uneasy job. We have to be highly concentrated and be alerted so as to find the bodies. We will exert all of our efforts to give the society an explanation," said Nunes, a firefighter of the Maranhao State, north to the Minas Gerais.

Apart from firefighters, medical teams and chemical experts are also present on the site.

The tailings dam, which belongs to Vale, has a large amount of deposits of wastes and chemical substances. After the dam collapsed, it has added up the possibility of chemical pollution and poisoning.

So far, the muddy waste has travelled almost 100 kilometres down the Paraopeba river. Vale started on Wednesday to install equipment in the river, trying to contain the material and prevent it from reaching the Sao Francisco River.

The Vale has announced that it will clear away 10 other tailings dams just like the one that collapsed. The company has also promised to pay&nbsp; $27,000&nbsp;as compensation to each victim's family.

The death toll from the collapse of a tailings dam in Brumadinho, Brazil's southeastern state of Minas Gerais, reached 99 on Wednesday, with 259 people still missing.

The death toll from the collapse of a tailings dam in Brumadinho, Brazil's southeastern state of Minas Gerais, reached 99 on Wednesday, with 259 people still missing. The dam ruptured on Friday sent a wave of iron ore waste and mud down the hill, destroying everything in its path, including residential areas, at least two small hotels and a large administrative area of mining giant Vale, owner of the mining complex where the dam was located. The site of the collapsed dam has seen several firefighters searching for bodies, even though the possibility of finding people alive is widely regarded as very remote. "Our group members and I searched out two bodies today. The most difficult part is to locate these bodies, as they are covered with mud of same colour; it's so hard to distinguish. Identifying human remains is quite difficult and is an uneasy job. We have to be highly concentrated and be alerted so as to find the bodies. We will exert all of our efforts to give the society an explanation," said Nunes, a firefighter of the Maranhao State, north to the Minas Gerais. Apart from firefighters, medical teams and chemical experts are also present on the site. The tailings dam, which belongs to Vale, has a large amount of deposits of wastes and chemical substances. After the dam collapsed, it has added up the possibility of chemical pollution and poisoning. So far, the muddy waste has travelled almost 100 kilometres down the Paraopeba river. Vale started on Wednesday to install equipment in the river, trying to contain the material and prevent it from reaching the Sao Francisco River. The Vale has announced that it will clear away 10 other tailings dams just like the one that collapsed. The company has also promised to pay $27,000 as compensation to each victim's family.

Brazil dam collapse: Death toll reaches 99; 259 people still missing

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