Another dam operated by Brazilian miner Vale is at risk just miles from where 300 people are thought to have been killed when its Brumadinho dam collapsed in January.
A dam at the Gongo Soco mine in the State of Minas Gerais could burst within days, causing Vale to alert authorities in the region.
Read more: Production falls at under-fire Brazilian miner Vale after burst dam
Nearly 460 people were evacuated from the area on 8 February, two weeks after the Brumadinho disaster, and the mine was put under round-the-clock monitoring.
“The rupture may happen between 19 May and 25 May, which could cause liquefaction of the south dam,” a document published by prosecutors said.
The dam at Gongo Soco, which has been inactive since 2016, holds around 6m cubic metres of waste from mining – so-called tailings.
Shares dropped 3.2 per cent yesterday, with markets yet to open this morning.
More than 300 people are either dead or missing after a dam burst in January near the city of Brumadinho.
The event, which pushed up global iron ore prices, has led to a clampdown in Brazil on mining waste dams.
Miners are now having to phase out their use of the dams over the coming years.
