Understand the Fundão collapse

On November 5, 2015, the Fundão dam, in the Germano Complex, in Mariana (MG), collapsed, causing 19 deaths. Samarco carried out all rescue efforts and provided support to the families of the victims. Approximately 32 million cubic meters of tailings left the structure, reaching the Santarém dam (water reservoir), which retained part of the volume. The remainder reached Bento Rodrigues, a district of the Municipality of Mariana, eight kilometers from Fundão.

The tailings followed the Gualaxo do Norte rivers, affecting the city of Barra Longa, and then the Doce River. At the Risoleta Neves Hydropower Plant (Candonga), part of the tailings was contained, but approximately 10 million cubic meters were carried beyond the reservoir and diluted along the Doce River to the district of Regência, in Linhares, on the coast of Espírito Santo. In total, 39 municipalities in Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo were affected.

Emergency actions

Shortly after the Fundão dam collapse, Samarco, with the support of its shareholders Vale and BHP, mobilized to help the affected communities. Immediately after the Fundão dam collapse, we focused on reinforcing the remaining dam structures in the Germano Complex (MG) and reviewed our emergency action plan. The company also distributed drinking water, rescued animals, offered psychosocial care and restored access.

These emergency actions were carried out until August 2016, when the Renova Foundation (in liquidation) took over management of the remediation programs. In this book, you will find everything that was done by Samarco to compensate the damages.

Independent investigation

The Fundão dam, operated by Samarco, had approximately 56 million cubic meters of tailings, within the permitted limit of up to 111 million cubic meters, licensed by the competent environmental agency – Regional Superintendence of the Environment and Sustainable Development (Supram). In an audit in July 2015, carried out to comply with Federal legislation 12.334/2010, ordinance 416/2012 of the National Department of Mineral Production (DNPM) and state legislation DN 87/2005 of the Environmental Policy Council Copam), the dam was deemed stable.

To investigate the causes of the collapse, Samarco and its shareholders Vale and BHP retained the firm Cleary Gottlieb & Hamilton LLP, which coordinated an independent investigation with a panel of geotechnical experts from Brazil, Canada and the United States, led by Professor Norbert Morgenstern, an internationally recognized authority on geotechnical engineering and Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering at the University of Alberta. Inspections, reviews and interviews were carried out, concluding that the collapse was the result of a combination of factors.