On November 5, 2015, an iron ore tailings dam collapsed in the municipality of Mariana, Minas Gerais, spilling the equivalent of 25,000 Olympic swimming pools of toxic sludge — destroying entire towns and resulting in 19 deaths. It also devastated the Rio Doce. At the time, authorities and politicians called for stricter environmental laws and harsh punishments to the companies responsible for the tragedy.
Three years later, the investigation that followed the 2015 tragedy led to a lawsuit for environmental crimes, manslaughter, and bodily harm against those responsible for the dam. However, it has yet to go to trial. And those who lost everything after the incident are still awaiting compensation.
Now, Brazil faces a similar situation, after the Brumadinho dam collapse killed at least 60 people — according to the latest figures — and 305 more are reported missing. How are Brazilian authorities responding to the disaster?
UPDATE: On January 29, police arrested two engineers of TÜV SÜD, a German security auditing company. They had attested that the Brumadinho dam was compliant with safety requirements. Police also arrested three Vale employees who were responsible for the dam’s environmental...
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