A January collapse of a tailings dam in Brazil that killed 250 people could have been prevented if Vale reported defects with the structure, says the National Minerals Agency (ANM).
A story this week from the BBC says the agency was relying on internal Vale documents that cited several issues with the Feijão dam in Brumadinho.
The collapse engulfed the entire area with a sea of toxic sediment, and stands as the worst industrial accident in Brazil's history.
"If ANM had been correctly informed it could have taken precautionary measures and forced the company (Vale) to take emergency actions that could have avoided the disaster," the statement from ANM said.
In 2018, the company noted sediment buildup in drainage pipes, a significant warning sign that a collapse could happen.
"The serious fact is that when there is sediment it must be reported. Period. It wasn't. If it had been communicated, the area would immediately have been submitted to daily inspections," ANM head Victor Bicca told reporters, the BBC story said.
Vale said it would study the report but had no immediate comment. The company is facing criminal charges in relation to the disaster, as well has a host of fines. A report in September said Vale and a German safety firm that inspected the dam falsified reports that said the Feijão dam was safe.
Three years ago, a similar disaster occurred at a mine operated by Samarco, a joint venture between Vale and BHP Billiton Ltd. It resulted in the death of 10 people and poisoned local drinking water.
Since the Brumadinho collapse, Vale head Fabio Schvartsman was pressured into resigning by Brazilian prosecutors.
Vale has substantial nickel mining operations in Sudbury, which it purchased from Inco several years ago. Vale also has operations in Voisey’s Bay, Labrador, as well as in Caledonia and Indonesia.
