As Brazil mine spill reaches ocean, its catastrophic extent becomes clear
Source: LA Times
At least 13 people died in the initial flooding, and many in communities along the river have suffered from diarrhea and vomiting as the toxic mud seeped into their water supply. Eleven of the 90 native fish species in the river were already at risk of extinction prior to the spill, according to federal environmental officials, and experts believe that wide-ranging forms of animal and plant life will be wiped out as entire ecosystems are destroyed. With Brazil's level of biodiversity, the die-off is likely to include an untold number of species that have yet to even be discovered. <snip>
When the barrier burst, for unknown reasons, more than 60 million cubic meters of waste began flooding nearby communities and wound up in the Rio Doce. Further investigation of the fault for the dam break is needed, government officials say, but already, Brazil is suing Samarco for at least $5 billion. The timing couldn't have been much worse, analysts say. Iron ore is one of Brazil's most important exports, and the nation is experiencing its worst economic crisis in decades. <snip>
"We were expecting the mud, so we were preparing, or so we thought," said Fabio Gama, who organizes kayak expeditions to cocoa-producing islands and is vice president of the residents' association in the beach fishing community of Regencia, where the waste enters the ocean. "The gravity of the situation only sank in when we saw the river turned into that indescribable red color. And everyone began to cry. They knew they lost their river, they lost their fish, they lost their culture."
Read more: http://www.latimes.com/world/brazil/la-fg-brazil-spill-20151220-story.html
Tragic!!!! Such a loss is never able to be measured!!!
* for those that have exhausted reading articles on LATimes, you can try a click-option of the link to open in a private window *
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But corporations are people! /sarcasm
I'm so happy to read they are suing for 5 billion! I hope they get every penny!
tragic. 
living in Brasil with the stones to look into this... 
