At least seven people are dead and possibly up to 200 are missing after a dam burst at a Brazilian iron mine and cause severe flooding, CNN reported.
The southeastern Brazilian city of Brumadinho was covered in mud. Homes were destroyed and helicopters were used to rescue mud-covered residents.
The victims have not been identified, CNN reported. Nine people were rescued from the mud that gushed after the dam burst, according to a statement from the Minas Gerais state government. The statement said that Vale, the company managing the iron mine, informed the local government that 427 people had been at the site at the time of the accident; 279 have been rescued and about 150 are missing.
Fabio Schvartsman, the president of Vale, said he felt "great regret" about the incident, CNN reported.
"I ask for forgiveness from all those affected and all of Brazilian society," Schvartsman said. "Unfortunately, the dam break happened. This is inexcusable.
"What just happened just now is beyond anything that I could imagine.”
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