On 5 November 2015, a dam burst at an iron ore mine in Brazil, operated by Samarco, a joint venture between BHP Billiton and Vale. A state prosecutor claimed it was the worst ever environmental disaster in Minas Gerais state. It has caused deaths, people are still missing, the city closest to the mine was destroyed by muddy waters, and the mud tide has spread for nearly 500 km from the site, newspapers said. More than 2000 people and several rivers are believed to be affected by the disaster, as pointed out by Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragens-MAB (Movement of people affected by dams). It includes comments from Samarco and BHP Billiton.

To read news about the case in Portuguese, click here.