Brazil mine disaster death toll jumps to 84: official

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Firefighters recover the body of a victim of Friday’s dam collapse at an iron-ore mine belonging to Brazil’s giant mining company Vale near the town of Brumadinho, state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil, on January 28, 2019. – The search for survivors intensified on Monday, on its fourth day, with the support of an Israeli contingent, after communities were devastated by a dam collapse that killed at least 60 people — with hopes fading for 292 still missing. A barrier at the site burst on Friday, spewing millions of tons of treacherous sludge and engulfing buildings, vehicles and roads. (Photo by Mauro PIMENTEL / AFP)

BRUMANDINHO, Brazil (AFP) — The number of people killed by the collapse of a dam at a Brazilian mining complex rose from 65 to 84 on Tuesday, with the number of missing down from 292 to 276, an official said.

Lieutenant Flavio Godinho, Civil Defense spokesman in the Minas Gerais state where the accident happened, said 42 bodies have now been identified after five days of an intense search operation through the mud.

© Agence France-Presse