Firefighters find a skull during searches in Brumadinho

The Minas Gerais State Fire Department announced today (21) that it found a skull with part of a dental arch during searches in the area affected by the tragedy in Promadinho (MG). At the moment, it is not possible to determine whether it belongs to a victim who is still missing. Confirmation will depend on the experience in charge of the Civil Police in Minas Gerais.

The tragedy occurred in January 2019, when a dam From the Vale unleashed a torrent of detritus that caused destruction CommunitiesEnvironmental degradation and pollution of the Paraopipa River. Most of the victims are workers of the mining company itself or from outside companies that provided services in the mine. After about 3 and a half years, the search for the bodies continues. Of the 270 people who lost their lives, four have yet to be located.

According to a note issued by the firefighters, the skull was found on Thursday (15) during an inspection of the remains in an area called Remanso 3. It was in the excavator’s structure and on the ground. After a new controlled excavation of part of the area, five parts and an incomplete bone were found,” the fire department said.

Since the tragedy, the fire department’s search operations have only suffered twice, due to restrictions imposed in moments of exacerbation of the COVID-19 pandemic. The efforts are closely monitored by the Association of Relatives of Victims and Affected (Avabrum), set up by families of those killed in the tragedy. The entity calculates 272 deaths because it includes two children of the two pregnant victims.

“We still believe that the four gems will be found and the family members will enjoy that warmth of meeting,” records a post published today (21) on Avabrum social networks.

Operation in Germany
On Monday (19), a new hearing was held in a lawsuit regarding the tragedy being handled in German courts. This is a lawsuit brought by 183 relatives of the dead and several surviving workers. And they demand compensation from the German company Tüv Süd, which signed the declaration of the stability of the collapsed dam. The document, which must be submitted twice a year to the National Mining Agency (ANM), is mandatory to maintain the structure’s operations. Without it, activities would be paralyzed.

Alexandra Andrade, President of Avabrum Inc, participated in the session, accompanied by another director of the authority. The victims are represented by Advocacia Garcez, which has a partnership with German lawyers Rudiger Helm and Ulrich von Jensen. Both have experience in international law in cases of tragedies. Ulrich von Jensen, for example, acted in seeking compensation for family members of victims of the Air France Concorde crash, which left more than 100 people dead in 2000 when it exploded en route from Paris to New York.

This is not the only case against Tüv Süd in German courts. The English language office Pogust Goodhead represents other families as well as the municipalities of Brumadinho and Mário Campos. Previously called PGMBM, it is the same office that defends victims of the tragedy in the Mariana (MG) before the UK courts. The target is mining company BHP Billiton. She, along with Vale, a Samarco shareholder, is responsible for the dam that erupted in 2015, causing 19 deaths and an environmental impact in the Rio Doce Basin.

In Brazil, a criminal case is pending in the Court of Minas Gerais based on the complaint submitted by the Public Prosecution Office of Minas Gerais (MPMG). 16 people are charged, 11 of whom are employees of Vale and five of Tüv Süd. For MPMG, both companies were aware of the critical situation of the dam.

In the civil sphere, a damage repair agreement was signed last year between Vale, the Government of Minas Gerais, the MPMG, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office (MPF) and the state attorney general’s office. Several projects have been anticipated that will require R$37.68 billion from the miner for social and environmental recovery measures, measures aimed at ensuring water security, improving public services and urban mobility works, among other initiatives.

However, the individual and labor damages to be paid to the victims are not covered in this agreement and are discussed in specific negotiations. There are agreements with the Ministry of Public Labor (MPT), with the Public Defender’s Office of Minas Gerais and also with unions that have established criteria and procedures for the payment of compensation amounts. However, several individually disaffected families sought the judicial sphere to resolve disagreements with Valley.