Iron Ore Output Far From Certain as Vale Homicide Charges Filed

Hundreds were killed in collapse of tailings dam in 2019
Vale report blamed faulty design for disaster at Brumadinho

Workers build containment and recovery dikes as part of the recovery effort in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais state, Brazil, on Dec. 10, 2019. — Workers build containment and recovery dikes as part of the recovery effort in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais state, Brazil, on Dec. 10, 2019.
Photographer: Leonardo Carrato/Bloomberg

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By Sabrina Valle and Peter Millard

January 21, 2020 at 4:44 PM UTC

Updated on

January 22, 2020 at 6:03 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Vale SA was dealt back-to-back blows on Tuesday as Brazilian officials announced criminal charges including for homicide in the wake of last year’s deadly dam collapse, while a prosecutor indicated additional output cuts may be on the horizon.

Former Chief Executive Officer Fabio Schvartsman was charged with 270 counts of homicide, and the world’s largest iron ore miner and a contractor, TUV SUD, were accused of environmental crimes. Minas Gerais state prosecutors allege that the 65-year-old executive, who was at the helm when the Brumadinho disaster unleashed a deluge of sludge that buried a small town, knew about the risks, but made false statements and hid information to protect the company’s share price.