MARIANA, Brazil, Nov. 6 (UPI) — More than a dozen people might be dead after a dam burst in Brazil, flooding nearby homes.
The dam held back waste water from an iron ore mine in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. When it burst, streams of thick red mud and debris came flooding into the small town of Bento Rodrigues, about four miles from the old colonial city of Mariana.
The mud wiped out cars and homes. One person has been confirmed dead but early reports said up to 16 people might be dead and many others are missing. Bento Rodrigues has a population of between 500 to 600.
Helicopters have lifted many stranded people from the area, but the rescue overall has been slowed by fears of mudslides. Authorities also warn that the sludge from the mining operations could be toxic and contaminate the river basin that provides water for the 2.5 million people in the city of Belo Horizonte.
The cause of the burst is not yet known, said a spokesman for the Samarco mining company, owners of the dam.
“We need rigor in determining what happened,” Minas Gerais prosecutor Carlos Eduardo Ferreira Pinto told reporters. “No dam bursts by chance.”
Hydroelectric power provides about 75 percent of Brazil’s electricity and also is primary source of power for remote mining areas.
Comment count on this article reflects comments made on Breitbart.com and Facebook. Visit Breitbart's Facebook Page.