Dam holding back mine waste collapses in Brazil; 200 missing

SAO PAULO (AP) — A dam in Brazil that held back mining waste collapsed today, inundating a nearby community in reddish-brown sludge and leaving an estimated 200 people missing, authorities and the mining company said.

Parts of the city of Brumadinho were evacuated, and firefighters rescued people by helicopter and ground vehicles. Local television channel TV Record showed a helicopter hovering inches off the ground as it pulled people covered in mud out of the waste.

Photos showed rooftops poking above an extensive field of the mud, which also cut off roads.

The flow of waste reached the nearby community of Vila Ferteco, and an administrative office for Brazilian mining company Vale SA, where employees were present, which "indicated the possibility of victims," the company said in a statement.

There were no official reports of deaths, but the state fire department told The Associated Press that about 200 people were missing. The company said it did not have any further information.

President Jair Bolsonaro sent tweets and spoke about the accident, saying he lamented it and that he was sending the three cabinet ministers to the area.

"We will take all the possible steps to minimize the suffering of families and victims," Bolsonaro said in a speech, which he posted on Twitter.