Unstable embankment at Gongo Soco mine has lower risk of collapsing: Vale

Brazil's Vale SA, the world's top iron ore miner, said Tuesday that an unstable embankment at its Gongo Soco mining pit has a lower risk than previously thought of collapsing in a way that would destabilize the nearby Sul Superior dam.

Last week, an environmental official for the state of Minas Gerais estimated a 10-15% chance of the Sul Superior dam losing integrity due to tremors from the expected landslide in the mining pit. That put the nearby town of Barao de Cocais on high alert, with officials running evacuation drills to avoid a repeat of the tragedy about 40 miles (64 km) away, where a Vale dam burst in January, unleashing a torrent of mud that killed over 240 people.