A dam that burst at an iron-ore mine in south-eastern Brazil on Thursday is thought to have killed at least 15 people, devastating a nearby town with mudslides and leaving officials in the remote region scrambling to assess casualties. 
 
 Forty-five people were still missing after the disaster at the Germano mine near the town of Mariana in Minas Gerais state, a local union told the G1 news portal. 
 
 The mine is operated by Samarco, a joint venture between the Anglo-Australian mining giant BHP Billiton and the Brazilian company Vale. 
 
 Andrew Mackenzie, the chief executive of BHP, said in Melbourne: “Most of what happened there has been under the cloak of darkness. 
 
 “At daybreak, clearly we will do an awful lot more and give you further updates.” 
 
 The company would “take all steps” to ensure the safety of the workers and communities affected by the disaster. 
 
 Facebook Twitter Pinterest Cars and homes were destroyed after an iron mine dam burst in Minas Gerais state. Photograph: Oglobo 
 
 Video footage on the G1 website showed houses of a village destroyed by flood waters and clay-red mud that surged down valleys in the mountainous region. Large vehicles lay tossed on their sides. 
 
 There was no official confirmation on the total number of dead and missing. A city hall official confirmed one death and 16 injuries, adding that dozens more were still missing. 
 
 Civil defence authorities in Mariana said they were evacuating about 600 people to higher ground from the village of Bento Rodrigues, about 7km (just over 4 miles) beneath the dam that burst, which was flooded as a result of the accident. 
 
 Television footage showed dozens of homes destroyed by the mudslide. A car rested on top of a wall where the roof of a building had been ripped off. 
 
 Authorities said the flood had also reached another village further down the hill, Paracatu de Baixo, and that inhabitants there were also being evacuated. 
 
 
 
 Rescue crews continued to search the muddy waters after nightfall. Brazilian army units nearby stood ready to help the search and rescue effort and the minister of national integration, Gilberto Occhi, planned to visit the state on Friday to provide assistance, according to a note from the presidency. 
 
 
 
 Facebook Twitter Pinterest People gather at the Arena Mariana, in Mariana, after a dam burst, forcing residents from their homes. Photograph: Douglas Magno/AFP/Getty Images 
 
 Samarco said in a statement it had not yet determined why the dam burst or the extent of the disaster. 
 
 
 
 BHP Billiton said in a statement that it was “concerned for the safety of employees and the local community ... We are in the process of obtaining more details from Samarco Mineracao.” 
 
 Vale directed media questions to Samarco. 
 
 Authorities said the dam was built to hold back water and residue from mining operations, a mixture that can often be toxic. The dam was holding so-called tailings, a mining waste product of metal filings, water and occasionally chemicals. It was located near the Gualaxo do Norte river, fuelling fears of potential water contamination. 
 
 Rescue teams were searching for survivors or bodies, and residents living nearby were told to evacuate to higher ground. 
 
 
 
 Site of the burst dam in Minas Gerais state. Site of the burst dam in Minas Gerais state. 
 
 Samarco said in a statement on its website that it was making “every effort to prioritise care to people and mitigate damage to the environment”. 
 
 “It is not possible at this moment to confirm a cause,” it added. 
 
 
 
 A statement from the city hall of Mariana, a city of about 40,000 people 300km (185 miles) north of Rio de Janeiro, said the dam ruptured at 4.20pm in an area roughly 20km from the city centre. 
 
 
 
 The disaster comes as both Vale and BHP are battling a collapse in iron ore prices and a wider slump in the industry. 
 
 The Germano mine is a 50-50 joint venture between the world’s largest iron miner and the largest mining company. 
 
 Iron ore is transported down a slurry pipe to Espirito Santo in south-eastern Brazil, where it is turned into pellets. Samarco produces around 30 million tonnes per year, according to its website. 
 
 Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. ||||| RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A dam burst at a mining operation in southeastern Brazil on Thursday, submerging nearby homes and vehicles. Authorities said there are dead and missing but have not yet given any figures. 
 
 Rescue teams were searching for survivors or bodies, and residents living in an area downhill from the dam were told to evacuate to higher ground. 
 
 The Civil Defense agency of Minas Gerais state confirmed there were dead and missing from the dam burst — but said it could not yet give a number. 
 
 Images from Globo TV showed the area of the operation overrun with water and clay-red mud, and large vehicles tossed on their sides. 
 
 A small cluster of homes and about 400 people live in the small town of Bento Rodrigues, about 7 kilometers (just over 4 miles) beneath the dam that burst. Images showed the town overrun with mud and water. 
 
 Authorities said the dam was built to hold back water and residue from mining operations, a mixture that can often be toxic. 
 
 The Samarco mining company said in a statement on its website that it was making "every effort to prioritize care to people and mitigate damage to the environment." 
 
 "It is not possible at this moment to confirm a cause ... nor if there are victims," it added. 
 
 Police, firefighters and city officials also said they could not confirm any victims. 
 
 A statement from the city hall of Mariana, a city of about 40,000 people 300 kilometers (185 miles) north of Rio de Janeiro, said the dam ruptured at 4:20 p.m. in an area roughly 20 kilometers (over 12 miles) from the city center.
– A small town in Brazil was buried in a sea of mud after a dam burst at an iron-ore mining operation Thursday, killing an unknown number of people. At least 16 people and possibly many more are believed to be missing in Minas Gerais state in the southeast of the country, where the homes in the town of Bento Rodrigues were destroyed by mud and water that had probably been rendered toxic by the mining operations, the BBC reports. Residents in the area downhill have been told to head for higher ground, reports the AP. The chief executive of mine operator BHP says most of the disaster "has been under the cloak of darkness" and "an awful lot more" will be done at daybreak, per the Guardian.