Brazil’s federal police indict 20 in connection with salt mine catastrophe in country’s northeast

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s federal police on Friday indicted 20 people for rock salt mining in the northeastern coastal city of Maceio that destroyed five urban neighborhoods and forced tens of thousands of people to leave their homes.

The alleged crimes include damage to public property and environmental crimes. A police source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed to The Associated Press that those indicted were employees or contractors of Braskem, one of the biggest petrochemical companies in the Americas.

Braskem is owned primarily by Brazilian state-run oil company Petrobras and construction giant Novonor, formerly known as Odebrecht. It operated the mining of rock salt in the area for four decades and has been under investigation since the neighborhoods began collapsing in 2018.

In a statement to The Associated Press, Braskem said it had not yet reviewed the full police report and therefore would not comment on the individuals indicted who were connected to the company. The petrochemical firm stated that it has cooperated with the investigation and “has always acted in compliance with industry laws and regulations, regularly informing and reporting to the competent authorities.”

Rock salt mining is a process of extracting salt from deep underground deposits. However, brine-filled cavities left behind when the salt has been extracted can eventually collapse, causing the soil above to settle. Structures built on top of such areas can topple.

Around 200,000 people in the Alagoas state capital Maceio were affected by the excessive extraction of rock salt, according to the Brazil Senate’s website.

In July, 2023, Braskem announced a $356-million settlement with the city. The money would be used for structural works in the city and for a residents’ support fund.

In December, a closed rock salt mine partially collapsed. The area had been previously evacuated.