9 dead, hundreds missing after Brazil dam collapse

Officials in Brazil say about 300 people have been reported missing after a dam collapsed at an iron ore mine in the south-eastern region of the country.

The collapse triggered a sea of muddy sludge that buried the dam's cafeteria where workers were having lunch.

Nine people have been confirmed dead and State Governor Romeu Zema has cautioned that there was “little chance of finding people alive.”

Dozens of people who were trapped inside -- many of them covered in mud -- had to be evacuated by helicopter as roads were destroyed.

Scores of residents in adjoining areas have been evacuated as a safety precaution.

President Jair Bolsonaro flew over the disaster area in a helicopter today.

"Our main concern at this moment is attending to potential victims of this grave tragedy," he said in a message posted on Twitter.

It is not clear what caused the collapse of the dam, which is owned by Brazil's largest mining company, Vale.

Rescue teams are using earth-moving machinery to help find persons still trapped in the sludge.

According to reports, the dam burst its barrier and flooded another facility below it.

The torrent of sludge cut through the dam's complex, nearby farms and the neighbourhood where many of the workers live.

Several houses and vehicles were destroyed.

Built in 1976, the dam was one of several in the area and it was used to hold residue from the mine.

According to officials at Vale, It had capacity for 12m cubic metres and had been an inactive site for three years.

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