ArcelorMittal Expands Evacuation Area Around Brazil Mining Dam

   By Nathan Allen 
 

ArcelorMittal (MT.AE) said Thursday that it has evacuated around 30 more families from two communities close to its Serra Azul mine in Brazil's Minas Gerais state, based on new analysis of a tailings dam.

As a precautionary measure ArcelorMittal said it has adopted more conservative assumptions over the potential impact zone if the dam were to collapse, leading the company to expand the evacuation area.

The steelmaker and iron-ore miner removed 200 people from the area in February after an independent review panel found it posed a safety risk. Since that time the company said it has stepped up its monitoring of the facility to include 24-hour surveillance and drone inspections.

The company said it plans to decommission the structure, which has been idled since 2012, once it concludes several interim measures to ensure the dam's safety.

Brazil's mining industry has been in the spotlight since the collapse of a tailings dam at a mine operated by Vale S/A (VALE3.BR) killed about 270 people in January.

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 04, 2019 11:21 ET (15:21 GMT)

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