Brazil's federal police charge 20 in connection with salt mine catastrophe in country's northeast

Brazil’s national constabulary person charged 20 group pinch stone brackish mining successful nan northeastern coastal metropolis of Maceio that destroyed 5 municipality neighborhoods and forced tens of thousands of group to time off their homes

SAO PAULO -- Brazil's national constabulary connected Friday charged 20 group pinch stone brackish mining successful nan northeastern coastal metropolis of Maceio that destroyed 5 municipality neighborhoods and forced tens of thousands of group to leave their homes.

The charges see harm to nationalist spot and biology crimes. A constabulary source, who said connected information of anonymity, confirmed to The Associated Press that those indicted were labor aliases contractors of Braskem, 1 of nan biggest petrochemical companies successful nan Americas.

Braskem is owned chiefly by Brazilian state-run lipid institution Petrobras and building elephantine Novonor, formerly known arsenic Odebrecht. It operated nan mining of stone brackish successful nan area for 4 decades and has been nether investigation since nan neighborhoods began collapsing successful 2018.

In a connection to The Associated Press, Braskem said it had not yet reviewed nan afloat constabulary study and truthful would not remark connected nan individuals indicted who were connected to nan company. The petrochemical patient stated that it has cooperated pinch nan investigation and “has ever acted successful compliance pinch manufacture laws and regulations, regularly informing and reporting to nan competent authorities.”

Rock brackish mining is simply a process of extracting brackish from heavy underground deposits. However, brine-filled cavities near down erstwhile nan brackish has been extracted tin yet collapse, causing nan ungraded supra to settle. Structures built connected apical of specified areas tin topple.

Around 200,000 group successful nan Alagoas authorities superior Maceio were affected by nan excessive extraction of stone salt, according to nan Brazil Senate’s website.

In July, 2023, Braskem announced a $356-million settlement pinch nan city. The money would beryllium utilized for structural useful successful nan metropolis and for a residents’ support fund.

In December, a closed stone brackish excavation partially collapsed. The area had been antecedently evacuated.