By Luana Melody Brasil and Victor Pires
On November 5th, 2015, in Mariana, Minas Gerais, a dam that kept iron ore tailings collapsed, causing a catastrophic mudslide that completely destroyed two villages, killed 19 people and thousands of animals (both aquatic and terrestrial) and polluted more than 700 kilometers before reaching the Atlantic Ocean. Among the causes for the disaster, it was evident that poor supervision from the Brazilian State and negligence on behalf of the mining company, Samarco S.A., were the major causes. We present in this chronicle the most important mining tragedy in Brazil, its main causes and consequences ; we also briefly discuss the role of media coverage in socio-environmental disasters caused by humans.
Key words : mining in Brazil ; dam collapse ; social and environmental tragedy ; social and environmental journalism