Landslides have killed at least 12 people since the weekend in Brazil’s Minas Gerais state, which has been pummeled by intense rainfall, and authorities are monitoring dams that could burst.
Firefighters in the southeastern state found five people from the same family, two of them children, buried on a hillside near the state capital, Belo Horizonte.
Two hours away by car, in the city Sao Goncalo do Rio Abaixo, a 10-year-old girl was also killed when a wall collapsed on her bedroom as she was sleeping, according to a statement from the state’s civil defense authority on Tuesday.
Another three deaths occurred in the city of Caratinga, and in the city of Ervalia, a 20-year-old died when a landslide collapsed a bar, the bulletin said.
The state had reported two other deaths on Sunday.
It said 145 municipalities were in a state of emergency due to flooding that has already forced more than 17,000 people to leave their homes.
Parts of Minas Gerais have accumulated more than 400 millimeters (16 inches) of rain in the first 10 days of the year, according to Brazil’s Meteorology Institute. That’s still short of the 950 millimeters of rain recorded in the full January 2020 — the most ever recorded for the month.
The institute forecast that rainfall in the state would only let up after Thursday.
At least five major iron ore miners suspended operations in southeast Brazil because of torrential rainfall that is causing flooding and reviving concerns over tailing dam breaches.
Vale, Brazil's largest iron ore miner, informed the market that it had partially suspended mining operations in its southern system of mines in Minas Gerais state to ensure public safety following relentless rains over the past days.
Samarco, Vale's iron ore joint venture with BHP, also said it had suspended operations because of the rains. The venture suffered a devastating dam breach in 2015 that killed 19 and caused widespread environmental and economic devastation.
Brazilian steelmakers Usiminas, CSN and Gerdau shut down their respective iron ore mines in the region as well this week.
The Casa de Pedra mine in Minas Gerais suspended operations, but expects operations to resume in the coming days once weather clears, according to a CSN regulatory statement.
Gerdau said it continues to supply its clients normally and expects to resume operations in coming days. ■