By this Sunday, Vale will have provided more than 1 million liters of drinking water to meet the needs of the region’s population, as a result of the breach of Dam I in the Córrego do Feijão Mine. In addition to the drinking water, Vale has also sent 1,600 liters of mineral water.

The company has already provided accommodation for more than 800 people, plus 40 ambulances and a helicopter to help in the rescue. For the reception and identification of the victims, employees and volunteers are working in the Help Centers. There were also 3 refrigerated water trucks, 500 personal hygiene kits, 200 snack kits and 200kg of animal feed.

To assist the rescue operations, 50 communication radios are in operation and balloons equipped with infrared and wi-fi technology have been contracted for aerial monitoring.

Helplines
As of early afternoon, this Saturday, almost 700 calls had been received over the two phone lines that were made available by the company. Vale encourages people to continue using these lines to report missing persons or to request any kind of emergency assistance (shelter, water, food baskets, clothing, medicine, transportation, etc.) and repair. The numbers are 0800 285 7000 (Hello railroad - priority) and 0800 821 5000 (Vale Ombudsman).
The actions are led by the Humanitarian Aid Committee, formed by a team of social workers and psychologists who provide care to those affected and their families.

Voluntary donations of non-perishable food, water and cleaning materials should be sent to the following locations: 18º Batalhão da PM de Contagem, 2 º Batalhão de Bombeiros de Contagem, 66º Batalhão da PM de Betim e 5º Batalhão da PM da Gameleira, em Belo Horizonte.

Regarding the breach
Dam 1 of the Córrego do Feijão Mine in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, breached on Friday afternoon and part of its contents hit two small structures, B4 and B4A, which were downstream of the dam. These structures were sediment containment basins, meaning, they only contained water drainage from the rain, preventing the contents to be carried by the water to the outside environment. The dam was inactive and the decommissioning of the dam was being defined. At the time of the breach, employees were working in the administrative area when it was hit by the tailings. Rescue and care of those affected is being carried out on site by the Fire Department and Civil Defense.

Vale deeply regrets the accident and is making every effort to provide relief and support to those affected. The top priority, at present, is to support the rescue efforts, to help preserve and protect the lives of all employees and members of local communities

Vale will continue to provide information as soon as it is confirmed