Watch: the terrifying moment Brazilian dam collapsed, killing 115 people
- Vale SA, the company that ran and operated the dam, said the residues did not have dangerous levels of metals, but experts argue that the impact on the environment could be irreversible
A week after the collapse of a mining dam in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, dozens paid homage Friday to the 115 people killed and 248 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 January 25, unleashing a destructive torrent of reddish-brown mining waste.
Backhoes stopped digging in the mud, and rescuers looking for survivors in the thick mine tailings all looked to the sky, as 10 fire department and police helicopters released flower petals on the iron ore mining complex.
A priest also gave a brief Mass in front of a tall pink cross that had been planted in the mud.
“It is totally devastated; it looks like there has been a war,” said 23-year-old Edvan Cristi, who lost friends who worked at the mine.
A spokesman for the Minas Gerais Fire Department said after the ceremony that authorities were not calling off the search for bodies although no one had been found alive since Saturday.
It is totally devastated; it looks like there has been a war
On Friday, operations seemed to enter a new phase as firefighters began excavating the mud with heavy machinery. So far, efforts have been focused on finding bodies closer to the surface and did not involve backhoes.