Five hundred people told to leave area around Sul Superior tailings dam at mine near Belo Horizonte

Brazilian authorities have ordered the mining company Vale to evacuate hundreds of people from the vicinity of a dam in Minas Gerais, two weeks after a dam breach at another Vale mine in the state killed an estimated 300 people.

Vale said it was evacuating 500 people from three communities around the Sul Superior tailings dam at the Gongo Soco mine, near Belo Horizonte, on the orders of the national mining agency. It said it was a preventive measure after an engineering consulting firm, Walm, refused to give the dam a declaration of stability.

Fears and repairs preceded January collapse in which 134 people died and 199 are still missing, near Brumadinho in Minas Gerais state

The Brazilian mining dam which collapsed in January, killing hundreds of people, suffered a leak last year that compromised its safety, according to employees who allege the mine’s operators did not inform the workforce or relocate a canteen and administration building that were destroyed in the disaster.

One hundred and forty-two people died and 194 are still missing after the dam near Brumadinho in Minas Gerais state collapsed on 25 January.

More than 230 remain missing after an avalanche of liquid mining waste swept through the countryside of Minas Gerais

Helicopters clattered overhead as teams of men and sniffer dogs picked their way across the few areas of red mud solid enough to walk on. Other recovery teams gathered around a digger as its shovel scooped up the sludge and drained it, again and again.

Related: Brazil dam collapse: bodies pulled from toxic mud as hope fades for survivors

Footage shows destructive torrent of mining waste, while ceremony pays homage to 110 victims

A week after the deadly collapse of a mining dam in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, dozens paid homage to the 110 victims killed and 238 who are still missing, while newly released video footage showed the moment that a powerful wave of waste began sweeping over everything in its path.

A ceremony was held at the site of the disaster around 1pm local time, the hour at which the dam breached on 25 January, unleashing a destructive torrent of reddish-brown mining waste.

Minas Gerais locals recall another dam collapse involving mining firm Vale as hunt continues for 292 people still missing

The dirt road which once led to the Nova Estância guesthouse and a handful of nearby farms now ends in a slew of sticky, acrid sludge that stretches as far as the eye can see, a deep red gash across the green of the rolling Brazilian countryside.

The road, a small bridge it once crossed, the guesthouse and hundreds of people were all swallowed by mud when a tailings dam at the Córrego de Feijão mine collapsed on Friday, unleashing a torrent of liquid waste.