UN rights experts call for probe into Brazil’s deadly dam collapse News
© WikiMedia (Senado Federal)
UN rights experts call for probe into Brazil’s deadly dam collapse

UN human rights experts on Wednesday called for a probe into the collapse of a tailing dam in Minas Gerais, Brazil, that killed nearly 60 people and left hundreds missing.

The disaster occurred on January 25 and is the second such incident involving the same company in the past three years. The experts urged the government to act “decisively” to prevent tragedies and to bring justice to those responsible.

The tragedy demands accountability and calls into question preventive measures taken subsequent to the Samarco mining disaster in Minas Gerais just over three years ago, when a catastrophic flood of mining waste near Mariana killed 19 people and affected the lives of millions.

The experts further called on the government to prioritize safety evaluations of existing dams, to cease the authorization of any new tailing dams nor allow any activities that would alter the integrity of existing dams until safety is ensured.

Apart from seeking government action, the experts asked the mining company Vale to cooperate fully with authorities and to “act in accordance with its responsibility to identify, prevent and mitigate adverse human rights impacts.”