Latin America & Caribbean

In pictures: Deadly dam collapse in Brumadinho

  • 26 January 2019
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A dam has collapsed at an iron-ore mine in south-eastern Brazil, covering a vast area in a sea of muddy sludge that has swept over roads and destroyed buildings.

Aerial view of mud and waste from the disaster caused by a dam spill in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 26 January 2019 Image copyright EPA
Image caption Many people are feared dead and scores are thought to be missing after the dam, which is owned by Brazil's largest mining company, Vale, gave way on Friday
A helicopter flies over a dam owned by Brazilian miner Vale SA that burst, in Brumadinho, Brazil Image copyright Getty Images
Image caption A river of mud carved its way across roads and farmland and even took down a bridge
A car in a sea of muddy sludge in Brumadinho Image copyright EPA
Image caption Cars were swept away like toys by the powerful current
Aerial view of the burst dam Image copyright Reuters
Image caption The muddy sludge buried the dam's cafeteria where hundreds of workers were eating
Aerial view taken after the collapse of a dam which belonged to Brazil's giant mining company Vale Image copyright Getty Images
Image caption The dam was used to hold residue from the nearby Feijão iron ore mine, and its collapse caused a sea of waste to spread across rural areas of Minas Gerais state
Rescuers work in the search for victims after the collapse of a dam Image copyright AFP
Image caption Rescue teams were dispatched, and officials say a number of residents who lived close to the dam have been evacuated
General view from above of a dam owned by Brazilian miner Vale SA that burst, in Brumadinho, Brazil Image copyright Reuters
Image caption Officials say that leaked tailings from the mine have spread into the nearby community of Vila Forteco, which is close to the city of Brumadinho
General view from above of the burst dam Image copyright Reuters
Image caption President Jair Bolsonaro and other senior government officials are due to visit the region later on Saturday
A general view on damage caused by the breakage of a dam containing mineral waste from Vale Image copyright EPA
Image caption The incident comes just over three years after another dam burst in Minas Gerais, killing 19 people. That was Brazil's worst environmental disaster
Rescue teams used helicopters to search for the missing in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais Image copyright Antonio Lacerda
Image caption Rescue teams used helicopters to search for the missing in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais

All photographs subject to copyright as marked.

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