Support towers in Vale’s dam works fall in Minas Gerais

Two towers in the preparatory system for de-characterization works on Vale’s Forquilhas I and II dams toppled this Friday morning (12) in Minas Gerais. According to the mining company, there were no injuries and there were no workers at the site at the time of the fall.

Vale also stated, in a note, that the towers did not reach the dams and that there was no change in their safety conditions. The company also said that the area was isolated and that the competent bodies were informed.

“The company’s dams undergo routine field inspections and are permanently monitored by a series of instruments and by the Geotechnical Monitoring Center (CMG)”, added the mining company.

One of the reasons given for the occurrence, according to UOL, would be the strong winds that hit the region.

The Forquilhas I and II dams, at Mina Fábrica, are located between the cities of Ouro Preto and Itabirito, located in the Metropolitan Collar of Belo Horizonte.

Both dams are at emergency level 2, which means that there is an anomaly with a potential safety compromise of the structure, classified as “uncontrolled” or “not extinct”, requiring new special inspections and interventions.

In a statement, the National Mining Agency stated that, together with the security, defense and regulation agencies of the state of Minas Gerais, it carried out an inspection after the incident to verify the safety of the dams. The agency confirmed that there were no casualties or dam failures.