Families dig to find loved ones in Brazil dam collapse

BRUMADINHO, Brazil (AP) — Under a scorching sun, Tereza Ferreira Nascimento on Wednesday dug through the mud with garden tools and her hands in search of her brother Paulo Giovane dos Santos, resigned to the reality that he was most likely dead six days after the collapse of a Brazilian dam holding back mine waste.

As search-and-recovery efforts continued, authorities also worked to slow the reddish-brown mud that was heading down a small river with high concentrations of iron oxide, threatening to contaminate a much larger waterway that provides drinking water to communities in five of the country’s 26 states.

Friday’s breach at the mine owned and operated by the Vale mining company led to a sea of mud that plastered several areas of the southeastern city of Brumadinho.

To date, 99 people have been confirmed dead and 259 are missing.

“We have been here since Friday, taking turns between brothers, brothers-in-law, searching for the body so that we can at least give him a dignified burial,” said Nascimento, holding back tears. “So far it has been in vain.”

Nascimento’s sister-in-law, Sonia Monteiro, knelt down to smell the mud. Other smells, of dead animals, had thrown them off before, but this time they believed they were on the right track.

“We were sensing a smell here, more or less, so we are digging to see if we find him,” said Nascimento, 41.

In the distance, helicopters could be heard and firefighters, wearing masks because of the strong smell of decomposing bodies, worked several areas. 

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