Minas Gerais police request arrest of Samarco CEO
Mariana (MG) - The burst led to 19 deaths and an environmental disaster in the Doce river basin with major consequences for the cities affected by the mud from the dam. 
The Civil Police in the southeast state of Minas Gerais requested this afternoon (Feb. 23) the preventive arrest of seven people for being involved in the collapse of the dam of mining company Samarco. Among them is Samarco CEO Ricardo Vescovi, charged along with five other Samarco employees and an engineer from VogBR, the consultancy that signed the stability certificate of the dam.
All seven were charged with homicide and may be sentenced to 12 to 30 years in jail for each of the deaths. They are also to face charges for pollution of drinking water and unintentional flooding with risk taken.
Investigation
The burst led to 19 deaths and an environmental disaster in the Doce river basin with major consequences for the cities affected by the mud from the dam.
According to investigators, the cause of the disaster was the excessive amount of water and the saturation of sandy waste in the dam. Projects to increase the capacity for tailings and problems in the drainage system also contributed to the collapse. Also, only a few pieces of equipments had been properly monitored. Some of them were defective.
Translated by Fabrício Ferreira
Fonte: Minas Gerais police request arrest of Samarco CEO
