It has previously said an audit by German firm TÜV SÜD, carried out in September last year, found the dam met legal requirements. A report has said mining company Vale knew a dam was at risk before it collapsed and killed 165 people . The firm claimed it had been made safe . An internal report has said Vale knew the Minas Gerais dam did not meet safety guidelines in October 2018 and had a one - in-5,000 chance of collapsing , but Vale said the report was misleading . The 2018 report had also forecast a collapse would cause more than 100 deaths and cost the company $ 1.5bn . It added that nine other dams owned by Vale were at risk . Vale said the cause was still unknown .
A report has said mining company Vale knew a dam was at risk before it collapsed and killed 165 people . The firm claimed it had been made safe . An internal report has said Vale knew the Minas Gerais dam did not meet safety guidelines in October 2018 and had a one - in-5,000 chance of collapsing , but Vale said the report was misleading . The 2018 report had also forecast a collapse would cause more than 100 deaths and cost the company $ 1.5bn . It added that nine other dams owned by Vale were at risk . Vale said the cause was still unknown .