Brazil prosecutors to charge Vale, individuals over disaster
Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 6 years, 8 months AGO
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Prosecutors in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais said Tuesday they will present charges against mining giant Vale, its German auditor Tuv Sud and 16 individuals in connection with the dam collapse last January that killed more than 200 people.
The state prosecutor's office said on its Twitter account that the charges would be detailed at a news conference later.
Just ahead of the disaster's anniversary on Jan. 25, the small town of Brumadinho remains devastated and some families haven't yet recovered bodies of their loved ones.
A mine tailings dam gave way and the water smashed through the town, dumping mud containing heavy metals in the Paraopeba River.
The collapse followed another in the same region, in 2015, at a dam co-owned by Vale. In that case, no individuals were held responsible for the disaster.
Tuv Sud said that one year after the dam broke its causes still haven’t been conclusively clarified, data from different sources must be compiled and analyzed and that the company continues to cooperate with the investigation.
Vale did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.