Rescuers searching for survivors while firefighters dug through mud in a huge area in Brazil buried by the collapse of a dam holding back mine waste
Brumadinho, Brazil – Rescuers in helicopters on Saturday searched for survivors while firefighters dug through mud in a huge area in southeastern Brazil buried by the collapse of a dam holding back mine waste, with at least 10 people dead and up to 300 missing.
More than 24 hours since the disaster happened, finding many more survivors was looking increasingly unlikely. Romeu Zema, the governor of the state of Minas Gerais, said officials expected to find many more bodies and he warned that those responsible « would be punished. »
Daily Folha de S. Paulo reported Saturday that the dam’s mining complex, owned and operated by Brazilian mining company Vale, was issued an expedited license to expand in December due to « decreased risk. »
Preservation groups in the area say the approval was unlawful.
Lt. Pedro Aihara, a spokesman for state firefighters, told reporters that they had found a bus they believed could be filled with bodies. However, accessing the bus buried in yards (meters) of mud was proving difficult.
« We need a special machine to access the structure and recover victims, » Aihara said. « The number of dead is going to go up. »
Israel said it was sending a mission to Brazil to help in rescue operations and provide aid. The mission will leave within 24 hours, according to a statement Saturday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
Netanyahu offered the help during a call with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro accepted.
There were some signs of hope. Authorities announced they had found 43 more people alive Saturday, though the number missing was still at 300.
Firefighters distributed to news outlets lists of people who had been rescued or accounted for. But there were still scores of families in the city desperately awaiting word on their loved ones.
For many, hope was fading to anguish.
