Petrochemical giant’s salt mine ruptures in northeastern Brazil. Officials warn of collapse

By DIANE JEANTET and DAVID BILLER
Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The city of Maceio’s civil defense authority says a mine belonging to Brazilian petrochemical giant Braskem has collapsed in the coastal city of Maceio, the capital of northeastern Alagoas state. Video the authority distributed shows a sudden murky bubbling of the water in the Mundau Lagoon in the city’s Mutange neighborhood, reflecting the mine’s rupture. The area had previously been evacuated and there were was no risk to any people, the authority said in a statement. A press officer said officials were still assessing the collapse and would soon provide further information. Braskem’s 40 years of rock salt mining in Maceio has prompted the displacement of tens of thousands of people.