Articles by Marta Nogueira

Brazil Prosecutors Seek Arrest of Vale Executive after Tailings Dam Disaster

Brazilian federal prosecutors are seeking the arrest of a Vale SA senior executive, authorities said on Friday, following the collapse of a dam holding mining byproducts that is believed to have killed over 300 people. This is the first time …

Vale’s Senior Management Unaware of Dam Risk Report, Says CFO

Senior management at Brazilian miner Vale were never shown internal security documents indicating that its dam at Brumadinho was at risk of collapse, the company’s chief financial officer said on Tuesday [Feb. 12]. The CFO, Luciano Siani, was asked about …

Contamination Found at Norsk Hydro’s Alumina Refiner in Brazil, Say Researchers

A Brazilian government-backed institute is readying new evidence of contamination near the world’s biggest alumina refiner, Norsk Hydro ASA’s Alunorte, in the northern state of Para, a researcher told Reuters. A more complete report being prepared for release next week …

Brazil Charges 21 with Homicide for Failing to Avert Samarco Mine Disaster

Brazilian prosecutors charged 21 people with qualified homicide on Thursday for their roles in the collapse of a tailings dam at the Samarco Mineração SA iron ore mine last November that killed 19 people. The charges follow what is now …

Brazil Mine Disaster Caused by Poor Drainage & Design of Tailings Dam: Report

The deadly collapse of a tailings dam last November at the Samarco mine, owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton, was caused by drainage and design flaws, a report into Brazil’s worst-ever environmental disaster showed on Monday. The 76-page report …

Brazil Slaps Initial Fine of $66 Million on Mine for Burst Dam Disaster

Brazil’s president slapped preliminary fines of 250 million reais ($66.2 million) against a mine in the country’s southeast where two dams burst, killing nine people and coating a two-state area with mud and mine waste. The fines, announced after President …

Brazil Vows to Make BHP & Vale Pay Fine & Cleanup Costs for Mine ‘Catastrophe’

Brazil’s government said on Wednesday it may fine mining giants BHP Billiton Ltd and Vale SA for the “environmental catastrophe” caused by ruptured dams at an iron ore mine jointly owned by the companies in a southeastern state. The government …