Brazilian Dam Causes Catastrophe

The Brumadinho Dam in Brazil burst at an iron ore mill, and a torrent of water submerged the area, killing people and destroying houses. At least 40 people died and hundreds are still missing as the search for survivors continues. However, the hopes of finding survivors are getting low. Some local residents returned to their homes to find them completely destroyed. Family and friends nervously wait for news of their missing loved ones.

Vale, a huge company who owns and operates the dam, has been issued with an initial £50 million fine and £1.2 billion of its assets were frozen. This is the second dam to collapse in Brazil in recent years. The previous one collapsed in 2015 and killed 19 people.

Difficult words: iron ore mill (where people make steel – a type of metal that we use to build things), submerge (put under water), huge (very big).