Eight employees of Brazilian mining giant Vale have been arrested in connection with the investigation into last month's collapse of a mining dam that killed at least 166 people and left 147 missing in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais.
The state's prosecutor's office said in a statement that the employees were arrested Friday.
They will be held "under temporary custody" for 30 days to determine whether they have responsibility for the Jan. 25 collapse.
Fernando Nunes walks on the mud where he has been searching for the body of his brother Peterson, returning this day to see if rescuers had found him, in Brumadinho, Brazil, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019. Two days after this photo was taken, his brother's body was found, recovered and identified by their mother. (AP PhotoLeo Correa)
Those arrested include four managers and four members of technical teams in charge of monitoring the stability of the dam located near the city of Brumadinho.
Brazil research institute Fiocruz recently said the contamination of the ecosystem and the Paraopeba River could precipitate the spread of dengue, yellow fever or diarrhea in the area.
Malvina Firmina Nunes and her son Fernando are comforted by friends at their home as they grieve for their missing 35-year-old son and brother, Peterson, after a deadly Vale dam collapse in Brumadinho, Brazil, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019. "I called him on the phone, but he didn't answer me," Malvina said. "I want to talk to him, but he doesn't answer. Where is my son?" (AP PhotoLeo Correa
FILE - In this Jan. 28, 2019 file photo, firefighters pull a body from the mud days after the Vale mining company's dam collapsed in Brumadinho, Brazil. The mud smelled of blood and bodies in decomposition. (AP PhotoLeo Correa, File)