Two iron ore tailing dams collapsed in Minas Gerais State, Brazil, on 5 November, spilling liquid waste out into the town of Bento Rodrigues.

Nine people have been confirmed killed by the disaster, and thousands of people have been affected.

Bento Rodrigues is located in southeastern Brazil and has a population of approximately 620. The town hosts an iron ore mine for which three dams were created. The dams stored waste materials left over from the ore processing, and when the Fundao and Santarem dams collapsed they flooded Bento Rodrigues completely with these toxic materials.

The accident has been described as "catastrophic" by environmental officials in the area. Residents have been ordered to evacuate to higher ground, and there are concerns of further mudslides.

Residents of Bento Rodrigues received no warning of the disaster as the surge of waste flooded the town, and were forced to seek shelter or run when they saw the flood approaching.

Due to the nature of the disaster, it is difficult for rescue teams to locate and evacuate some of those affected as helicopters are required to safely reach them. 19 people, some of them workers from the mine, are still missing.

The mine is owned by Vale and BHP Billiton. Samarco, the company which runs the mine, has promised to minimise the damage as much as possible. It is reported that the third dam is secure and not expected to also be breached.

As a consequence of the toxic nature of the waste and the distance the flood has reached, water service has been suspended in Minas Gerais and Espirito Santos states, affecting hundreds of thousands of people.