RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian judicial officials on Thursday ordered the freezing of another 800 million reals (about 220 million U.S. dollars) of mining giant Vale's assets over the collapse of the company's tailings dam in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais.
The same amount was frozen on Monday, after the state's Public Ministry of Labor requested a total of 1.6 billion reals (about 440 million U.S. dollars) be frozen to cover costs related to the accident, which has so far killed 110 people, mostly Vale employees.
About 240 people are still missing.
Thursday's move brings the company's total frozen assets to 12.6 billion reals (about 3.45 billion U.S. dollars).
In a statement, the ministry said Vale was also ordered to cover the cost of burials and to continue paying the wages of deceased or missing employees to their relatives.
The company must also provide any relevant documents to investigators on the safety of the dam.
In addition, the company faces fines of 499 million reals (about 136.5 million U.S. dollars).
The dam at a Vale iron-ore mine in the town of Brumadinho burst on Jan. 25, releasing vast amounts of toxic waste.
In 2015, another tailings dam partly owned by Vale collapsed in the Minas Gerais town of Mariana, causing the worst environmental disaster in Brazil's history.
