BHP Updates on Dam Breach in Brazil

BHP Billiton (NYSE:BHP) provided further updates on the November 5 breach of the Fundão tailings dam and Santarém water dam at the Samarco Mineração S.A (Samarco) iron ore operation in Minas Gerais, Brazil.
According to the company’s press release:

At this stage there are 17 confirmed fatalities, being five members of the community and 12 people who were working on the dams at the time of the breach.  In addition, two people who were working on the dams remain unaccounted for.

Updating on the operations, BHP noted:

Samarco continues to work with the government authorities in Brazil to relocate displaced people from temporary accommodation to rented housing and to distribute living wage debit cards to those who have been impacted. All displaced people will have been given the opportunity to relocate before 25 December 2015. Community access bridges are being rebuilt and public service centres have been established in affected communities. Planning for the reconstruction of impacted communities has also commenced.
Monitoring of the remaining dam structures at Samarco continues. Interim work to repair the damage to the dams and to reinforce parts of the structure continues, with work on the Selinha dike (which is the wall between the Germano and Fundão dams) and the Santarém dam being over 50 per cent complete.

Click here to view the full press release.