In pictures: Deadly dam collapse in Brumadinho

A dam has collapsed at an iron-ore mine in south-eastern Brazil, covering a vast area in a sea of muddy sludge that has swept over roads and destroyed buildings.

Many people are feared dead and scores are thought to be missing after the dam, which is owned by Brazil's largest mining company, Vale, gave way on Friday

A river of mud carved its way across roads and farmland and even took down a bridge

Cars were swept away like toys by the powerful current

The muddy sludge buried the dam's cafeteria where hundreds of workers were eating

The dam was used to hold residue from the nearby Feijão iron ore mine, and its collapse caused a sea of waste to spread across rural areas of Minas Gerais state

Rescue teams were dispatched, and officials say a number of residents who lived close to the dam have been evacuated

Officials say that leaked tailings from the mine have spread into the nearby community of Vila Forteco, which is close to the city of Brumadinho

President Jair Bolsonaro and other senior government officials are due to visit the region later on Saturday

The incident comes just over three years after another dam burst in Minas Gerais, killing 19 people. That was Brazil's worst environmental disaster

Rescue teams used helicopters to search for the missing in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais

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