Brasilia: On Tuesday, officials have informed that rescue workers in Brazil have so far recovered 134 bodies while 120 have been identified from the mudslide of toxic mining waste released after a tailings dam burst late last month.
The latest death toll is more than three times higher than the initial 40 victims which was reported when the dam owned by mining giant Vale collapsed on January 25 in the rural town of Brumadinho, in southeast Minas Gerais state. The number of fatalities is likely to reach a minimum of 300 as nearly 200 people remain missing.
Rescue workers brought in heavy excavation machinery on Monday afternoon to speed up the efforts to locate the victims. So far, 5 people have been arrested for their role in approving the safety of the dam.