‘That’s going to burst’: Brazilian dam workers say they warned of disaster

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.

Continue reading...

Dam collapse: the desperate search at Brazil’s ‘ground zero’

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

Continue reading...

Brazil: shocking new video captures moment of deadly dam collapse

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.

Continue reading...

‘The river is dying’: the vast ecological cost of Brazil’s mining disasters

Water resources are tapped with often reckless abandon and poor regulation. And it looks set to go on under new president

The Brazilian government has been urged to step up punishments for environmental crimes after the deadliest mining disaster in decades.

The torrent of mud and iron ore tailings that engulfed the community of Brumadinho on Friday continues to inflict a toll on residents, river systems and freshwater species.

Continue reading...

Brazil dam collapse: five arrested including three mining firm staff

Three employees of Vale and two subcontracted engineers held over Brumadinho disaster

Brazilian police have arrested five people in an investigation into the causes of the Brumadinho dam disaster.

The dam break on Friday at an iron ore mining complex operated by the minerals firm Vale killed at least 65 people, and a further 279 are missing.

Continue reading...

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

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.

Continue reading...

Fresh warning at Brazil mining site where dam collapsed

People evacuated after high water level warning at another Vale mining dam in Brumadinho

An alarm warning of an imminent mining dam rupture was issued early on Sunday near Brumadinho, the same Brazilian community where the collapse of a dam killed 34 and left hundreds more feared dead.

The alarm, warning of dangerously-high water levels at a dam that is part of the Córrego do Feijão mining complex in south-east Brazil went off at 5:30 am, a statement by the mining company Vale said.

Continue reading...

Hundreds feared dead as Brazil dam collapse releases mud tide

Officials warn few survivors are expected after mining workers in canteen and on a bus are caught in a wave of iron ore waste

Hundreds of people are feared dead after a dam operated by the mining company Vale collapsed in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, releasing a wave of red iron ore waste and causing the worst environmental catastrophe in the country’s recent history.

Authorities say that 40 people have died, and more than 300 people remain missing according to the company. The disaster comes only three years after a similar failure of the Fundão tailings dam near Mariana – co-owned by Vale – which killed 19 people.

Continue reading...

Brazil dam collapse: seven bodies found and scores still missing

Burst of tailings dam at iron ore mine releases wave of red sludge, with chance of finding survivors ‘minimal’

Seven bodies have been found and more than a hundred people remain missing after a dam operated by the mining giant Vale collapsed in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, releasing a wave of red iron ore waste and raising fears of widespread contamination.

Fire chief Col Edgar Estevão said there were seven dead, nine wounded and 100 people had been rescued from the sea of mud released by the dam, according to the G1 news site. The fire brigade believe around 150 are missing, he said.

Continue reading...

Zambian villagers await outcome of UK mining firm’s pollution case appeal

Vedanta Resources in fresh appeal to have water contamination claim brought by 1,800 people heard in Zambia

A British mining company has appealed to the supreme court to prevent 1,800 Zambian villagers bringing a pollution case involving its subsidiary from being tried in the UK.

Lawyers for Vedanta Resources told Britain’s highest court that the case – brought by villagers who allege that their land and livelihoods were destroyed by water contamination from Vedanta-owned Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) – should be heard in Zambia instead.

Continue reading...

‘Stop treating seas as a sewer,’ MPs urge in bid for protection treaty

Paris agreement for the sea recommended as rates of plastic pollution to skyrocket

A new global agreement to protect the seas should be a priority for the government to stop our seas becoming a “sewer”, according to a cross-party group of MPs.

Plastic pollution is set to treble in the next decade, the environmental audit committee warned, while overfishing is denuding vital marine habitats of fish, and climate change is causing harmful warming of the oceans as well as deoxygenation and acidification.

Continue reading...

China mine accident: 21 dead after roof collapse

The cause of the accident in the country’s northern Shaanxi province is being investigated

Twenty-one people have been killed after a roof collapsed at a coalmine in northern China.

A total of 87 people were working underground in the mine in Shaanxi province at the time of the accident on Saturday afternoon, the official news agency Xinhua reported.

Continue reading...

Schumer says he maintains contact with Alcoa officials to keep Massena plant operational

Three years ago, Alcoa officials announced that they planned to close the Massena East smelter rather than modernize it, and idle the Massena West smelter. In the process, 487 would have been eliminated, while Alcoa officials said they expected about 220 jobs to remain following the reductions.

Ex-coal exec chases US Senate seat despite GOP primary loss

In this May 8, 2018, file photo, former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship speaks to supporters in Charleston, W.Va. Despite having lost the Republican primary, convicted ex-coal baron Blankenship said he's going to continue his bid for U.S. Senate as a third-party candidate.

Ex-convict Don Blankenship launches third-party Senate bid in West Virginia

Ex-convict and former coal baron Don Blankenship said Monday he's running as a third-party candidate in West Virginia's Senate race after coming in third in the GOP primary. Blankenship said he accepted the West Virginia Constitution Party's nomination and argued that the "press and the establishment have colluded and lied to convince the public that I am a moron, a bigot and a felon."

Don Blankenship To Mount Third-Party Senate Bid After Losing W.Va. GOP Primary

Former Massey CEO and West Virginia Senatorial candidate, Don Blankenship, speaks during a town hall to kick off his GOP campaign in Logan, W.Va., on Jan. 18, 2018. After losing the Republican primary, Blankenship says he'll run under the Constitution Party banner.

The Latest: Incumbent loses GOP North Carolina House primary

Rick Colyer holds a sticker after placing his vote at the Durham County Library North Regional in Durham, N.C., Tuesday, May 8, 2018. North Carolina voters are choosing their parties' nominees Tuesday in dozens of legislative and congressional primary races congested with contestants who were spurred by strong feelings about President Donald Trump or their state's redistricting struggles.

Morrisey beats Blankenship, Jenkins in West Virginia’s GOP primary

Morrisey beats Blankenship, Jenkins in West Virginia's GOP primary Morrisey's win likely boosts the GOP's chances against Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin in November's general election. Check out this story on USATODAY.com: https://usat.ly/2It9F0x West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey speaks during a press conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC on February 27, 2018.