At Least 15 Dead, Dozens Missing After Mining Dam Bursts in Brazil

At least 15 people were dead and 45 others missing after a dam burst in south eastern Brazil Thursday, destroying dozens of homes and covering a neighborhood in thick sludge of mining waste, NBC News reported.

The dam at the Germano mine near the historic town of Mariana, the oldest city in the state of Minas Gerais, was holding tailings, a mining waste product of metal filings, water and occasionally chemicals.

There was no official confirmation on the number of dead and missing, and the mine's owner, Samarco, said the full extend of the disaster has not ben determined.

Samarco is a joint venture between top iron ore miners, Brazil's Vale and Australia's BHP.
 

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