Brumadinho dam collapse: ‘Little hope’ of finding missing in Brazil

About 300 people are missing after a dam collapsed at an iron ore mine in south-eastern Brazil, officials say. The break caused a sea of muddy sludge that buried the dam’s cafeteria where workers were eating lunch on Friday. Rescue teams used earth-moving machinery at the site near the town of Brumadinho, in Minas Gerais state. State governor Romeu Zema said there was little chance of finding people alive. So far nine people have been confirmed dead.It is not clear what caused the collapse of the dam, owned by Brazil’s largest mining company, Vale.The collapse comes just over three years since a dam burst in Mariana, also in Minas Gerais, killing 19 people, in what is considered Brazil’s worst environmental disaster. he company’s chief executive Fabio Schvartsman said only one-third of the roughly 300 workers at the site had been accounted for.Local firefighters also said the number of missing in the area could be as many as 300.The search is being carried out by 100 firefighters with 100 more expected to join them on Saturday. “From now, the odds are minimal and it’s most likely we’ll recover only bodies,” Governor Zema said.