Johannesburg - The world's largest diversified miner, BHP Billiton, says authorities are still looking for six people who went missing after its joint venture in Brazil experienced a dam burst.
On November 5, the company’s 50 percent venture, Samarco, experienced a breach of the Fundão tailings and Santarém water dam at its iron ore operation in Minas Gerais. Vale holds the other 50 percent in the operation.
BHP says in a statement issued on Monday morning that the breach led to 13 fatalities and six people went missing. “Emergency services continue to search for the six missing people.”
Samarco continues to work to relocate displaced people, says BHP. In addition, clean up and dam repair work has started, it adds.
Operations at Samarco remain suspended.
The miner adds the water continues to be assessed and, so far, the tailings that ended up in the Rio Doce river system, do not contain material that is hazardous.
However, Reuters - citing an interview with Vania Somavilla, sustainability chief at Vale, reports that toxic materials such as arsenic were found in the water of the Rio Doce river days after the dam burst.
Somavilla cited a report by the Institute for Water Management in Minas Gerais, which found levels of arsenic above legal limits.
The wire service notes Vale is the first company to admit to toxic materials in the dam. Brazil is suing the operation for $5.20 billion) in damages and clean up costs.
The miner says it has yet to receive formal notice of the action, and is committed to rebuilding the community via the subsidiary.
BHP notes, where water supplies have been affected, alternative water supplies are being provided by Samarco, working with local authorities.
The tailings plume has reached the Atlantic Ocean and is dispersing. “Samarco has developed a program for monitoring the plume in the ocean and authorities have provided direction on the scope of the required testing under the programme”.
The clean up of one of Brazil's main rivers could take a decade or more, authorities and environmentalists said.
IOL