"Missing Employees Not Likely to Be Found Alive," Says Minas Governor After Dam Rupture

11/09/2015 - 10h40

The governor of Minas Gerais, Fernando Pimentel (PT), acknowledged that the 13 employees who worked in the dams of the Samarca company in Mariana at the time they collapsed, "are unlikely to be found alive".

"Regrettably, we have to acknowledge this. The others [residents of the affected areas who have disappeared] we can't say." The accident occurred on Thursday (5).

There were 26 people missing as of Sunday (8) two names were removed from the list since they were being housed in hotels and were included by mistake.

After authorization from the fire department, Folha visited the subdistrict of Bento Rodrigues for the first time on Sunday (8) evening, the site most affected by the mud.

The scene was like the aftermath of a hurricane. There were houses with missing roofs, almost completely filled with mud, cars strewn meters forward. Only the most remote homes maintained their roofs.

The mud marks reached the ceiling. In one bar, the pool table stood in the doorway.

The sea of mud passed over the school. Only a few walls were left standing, one of them with a posted sign. The metal of the desks rose out of the mud.

The depth of the mud was unusual. The firefighters' legs would sink as they walked.

Translated by SUGHEY RAMIREZ

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