At least two people were killed in the city of Mariana, in the state of Minas Gerais, after an iron ore waste dam from Samarco, a 50/50 JV between Brazil’s Vale and BHP Billiton, burst at 4:20 pm, local time, on Thursday, officials said.
Local firefighters confirmed on Friday 30 people were injured and at least two were killed as a result of the burst. Local media said the number is likely to rise, as rains made it difficult for officials to search for missing people in the city on Friday.
Samarco said operations at its Germano iron ore mine was halted due to the burst, however, it’s not clear for how long the mine could remain shutdown, nor the impact it could have on supplies. The mine produces 30 million mt of iron ore pellets per year and is located in the cities of Mariana and Ouro Preto, both in the state of Minas Gerais.
Samarco’s president, Ricardo Vescovi, defined the event as “tragic” and added the company “can’t confirm the causes or the complete extension of the occurrence as well as number of victims,” despite authorities confirming deaths in the area. Samarco said “people rescued with injuries are being taken to emergency care in Mariana’s hospital and other nearby municipalities.”
The company explained its dams are composed of four structures: Germano, Fundão, Santarem and Cava de Germano.
According to Samarco, “all have operation licenses issued by the regional environmental office” and the last inspection took place in July 2015, indicating indicated the dams “were in total safety conditions.” It also said the iron ore waste is “inert”, consisting mostly of silica (sand) from the iron ore processing and presents “no chemical that is harmful to health.”
The iron ore Samarco produces at the Germano mine is transported through a pipe from the Germano complex to the state of Espirito Santo. There, it’s turned into pellets and then shipped to customers. A media report said clients include the Libyan Iron and Steel Co (Lisco), one of North Africa's biggest steelmakers.