Brazil Makes Vale Arrests as Cabinet Meets on Fatal Dam Break

Police arrest five in Sao Paulo and Belo Horizonte in probe
Vale said in statement it is cooperating with authorities

A firefighters' helicopter overflies the area as rescuers work in the search for victims after the collapse of a dam, which belonged to Brazil's giant mining company Vale, near the town of Brumadinho in southeastern Brazil, on January 25, 2019. - A dam collapse in southeast Brazil unleashed a torrent of mud on a riverside town and surrounding farmland Friday, destroying houses, leaving 200 people missing and raising fears of a number of deaths, according to officials. (Photo by Douglas Magno / AFP) (Photo credit should read DOUGLAS MAGNO/AFP/Getty Images)Photographer: DOUGLAS MAGNO/AFP

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By Rt Watson and Simone Iglesias

January 29, 2019 at 11:34 AM UTC

Updated on

January 29, 2019 at 2:31 PM UTC

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Brazilian police arrested three employees and two contractors for embattled mining giant Vale SA as an investigation into a dam rupture that has killed at least 65 and left a path of destruction in the state of Minas Gerais widens.

The two contractors worked for German consultancy firm TUEV SUED, which had recently carried out safety studies concluding the tailings dam was stable. The Vale employees were allegedly directly involved in obtaining the licensing for the mining project, the public prosecutors office for Minas Gerais state said in a statement on Tuesday. The individuals are under temporary arrest for 30 days, it said.