An engineer at Vale said this week in a panel at the nation’s upper house of Congress that the company knew the risks of a dam collapse in Brumadinho, which killed at least 232 people.
Felipe Figueiredo Rocha, who works at the company’s hydric resources area, said he warned Vale directors of the risks.
“Despite not being imminent, the dam risks were presented to Vale’s directors,” he said, adding he made the risks clear in “every presentation and information” he had access to.
Rocha said a report with recommendations for the dam’s risk was sent to the company’s management team. During the panel, a policymaker suggested increasing taxes on mining companies such as Vale. The upper house panel aims to investigate the causes of the dam collapse.