Brazil police indict 20 in connection with salt mine catastrophe

SAO PAULO — 

Brazil's national constabulary indicted 20 radical Friday for stone brackish mining successful the northeastern coastal metropolis of Maceio that destroyed 5 municipality neighborhoods and forced tens of thousands of radical to permission their homes.

The alleged crimes see harm to nationalist spot and biology crimes. A constabulary source, who spoke connected the information of anonymity, confirmed to The Associated Press that those indicted were employees oregon contractors of Braskem, 1 of the biggest petrochemical companies successful the Americas.

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

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

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

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

In July 2023, Braskem announced a $356-million colony with the city. The wealth would beryllium utilized for structural works successful the metropolis and for a residents' enactment fund.

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