11 dead, 12 missing after dam failure dumps 13,000 gallons of mud over Brazilian city — PHOTOS
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Vultures eat dead fish found on the beach of Povoacao Village, near the mouth of Rio Doce (Doce River), which was flooded with mud after a dam owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd burst, at an area where the river joins the sea on the coast of Espirito Santo, Brazil, November 23, 2015. (Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)
A local fisherman working for a company contracted by Samarco mine operator, clears up dead fish found on the beach of Povoacao Village, near the mouth of Rio Doce (Doce River), which was flooded with mud after a dam owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd burst, at an area where the river joins the sea on the coast of Espirito Santo, Brazil, November 23, 2015. (Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)
A local fisherman working for a company contracted by Samarco mine operator, clears dead fish found on the beach of Povoacao Village, near the mouth of Rio Doce (Doce River), which was flooded with mud after a dam owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd burst, at an area where the river joins the sea on the coast of Espirito Santo, Brazil, November 23, 2015. (Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)
Local fishermen working for a company contracted by Samarco mine operator, work on the clearing of dead fish found on the beach of Povoacao Village, near the mouth of Rio Doce (Doce River), which was flooded with mud after a dam owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd burst, at an area where the river joins the sea on the coast of Espirito Santo, Brazil, November 23, 2015. (Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)
A local fisherman working for a company contracted by Samarco mine operator, clears dead fish found on the beach of Povoacao Village, near the mouth of Rio Doce (Doce River), which was flooded with mud after a dam owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd burst, at an area where the river joins the sea on the coast of Espirito Santo, Brazil, November 23, 2015. (Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)
An aerial view of the Rio Doce (Sweet River), which was flooded with mud after a dam owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd burst, at an area where the river joins the sea on the coast of Espirito Santo in Regencia Village, Brazil, November 23, 2015. (Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)
An aerial view of the Rio Doce (Sweet River), which was flooded with mud after a dam owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd burst, at an area where the river joins the sea on the coast of Espirito Santo in Regencia Village, Brazil, November 23, 2015. (Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)
An aerial view of the Rio Doce (Sweet River), (bottom) which was flooded with mud after a dam owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd burst, at an area where the river joins the sea (top) on the coast of Espirito Santo in Regencia Village, Brazil, November 23, 2015. (Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)
An aerial view of the Rio Doce (Sweet River), (bottom) which was flooded with mud after a dam owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd burst, at an area where the river joins the sea (top) on the coast of Espirito Santo in Regencia Village, Brazil, November 23, 2015. (Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)
An aerial view of the Rio Doce (Sweet River), which was flooded with mud after a dam owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd burst, at an area where the river joins the sea on the coast of Espirito Santo in Regencia Village, Brazil, November 23, 2015. (Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)
An aerial view of the mouth of Rio Doce (Sweet River), which was flooded with mud after a dam owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd burst, at an area where the river joins the sea on the coast of Espirito Santo in Regencia Village, Brazil, November 23, 2015. (Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)
Seagulls fly near the mouth of the Rio Doce (Sweet River), which was flooded with mud after a dam owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd burst, as the river joins the sea on the coast of Espirito Santo, in Regencia Village, Brazil, November 22, 2015. (Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)
A general view the mouth of Rio Doce (Sweet River), which was flooded with mud after a dam owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd burst, as the river joins the sea on the coast of Espirito Santo in Regencia Village, Brazil, November 22, 2015. (Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)
A general view the mouth of Rio Doce (Sweet River), which was flooded with mud after a dam owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd burst, as the river joins the sea on the coast of Espirito Santo in Regencia Village, Brazil, November 22, 2015. (Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)
A general view the mouth of Rio Doce (Sweet River), which was flooded with mud after a dam owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd burst, as the river joins the sea on the coast of Espirito Santo in Regencia Village, Brazil, November 22, 2015. (Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)
A view of the mud which flooded Rio Doce (Sweet River) after a dam owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd burst, is seen on the coast of Espirito Santo, in Regencia Village, Brazil, November 22, 2015. (Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)
Children play on the beach near the mouth of Rio Doce (Sweet River), which was flooded with mud after a dam owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd burst, on the coast of Espirito Santo in Povoacao Village, Brazil, November 22, 2015. (Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)
A general view the sea (L) and Rio Doce (Sweet River), which was flooded with mud after a dam owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd burst, on the coast of Espirito Santo in Povoacao Village, Brazil, November 22, 2015. (Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)
People walk between the sea (bottom) and the Rio Doce (Doce River), which was flooded with mud after a dam owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd burst, as the river joins the sea on the coast of Espirito Santo in Povoacao Village, Brazil, November 22, 2015. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes
A wave crashes on the beach near the mouth of Rio Doce (Doce River), which was flooded with mud after a dam owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd burst, as the river joins the sea on the coast of Espirito Santo in Regencia Village, Brazil, November 22, 2015. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes
A boat is seen on the mouth of Rio Doce (Sweet River), which was flooded with mud after a dam owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd burst, as the river joins the sea on the coast of Espirito Santo in Regencia Village, Brazil, November 22, 2015. (Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)
Men look on from the banks of Rio Doce (Sweet River), which was flooded with mud after a dam owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd burst, as the river joins the sea on the coast of Espirito Santo in Regencia Village, Brazil, November 22, 2015. (Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)
Seagulls fly near the mouth of Rio Doce (Sweet River), which was flooded with mud after a dam owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd burst, as the river joins the sea on the coast of Espirito Santo, in Regencia Village, Brazil, November 22, 2015. (Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)
A wave is pictured on the sea near the mouth of Rio Doce (Sweet River), which was flooded with mud after a dam owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd burst, as the river joins the sea on the coast of Espirito Santo in Regencia Village, Brazil, November 22, 2015. (Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)
Seagulls fly near the mouth of Rio Doce (Sweet River), which was flooded with mud after a dam owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd burst, as the river joins the sea on the coast of Espirito Santo, in Regencia Village, Brazil, November 22, 2015. (Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)
On Nov. 5, a mining dam in Minas Gerais, Brazil failed, releasing over 13,000 gallons of toxic mud into the Rio Doce (Sweet River). The mudslide washed away the town of Bento Rodrigues, killing 11 people and leaving another 12 missing.
The mud comes from mines owned by Anglo-Australian BHP Billeton, the world’s number one miner and Brazil’s Vale.
Rio Doce is one of Brazil’s most important rivers, according to a report from EuroNews.com, and provides drinking and irrigation water for hundreds of thousands of people.
Water courses and currents may be altered by the dam’s failure, the report said, altering the river’s ecosystem. Because the mud is rich in iron, it will eventually harden to a concrete-like consistency, burying the river’s fish and plants.
Two additional dams servicing the mines may also soon collapse, the report said. Emergency work is underway on one to try and prevent that from happening.
Check out the photo gallery above.
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