According to the media, shortly before the fourth anniversary of the Brumadinho dam collapse, the public prosecutor's office in Brazil again brought charges against 16 suspects.
Those charged at the federal level are the same people who were charged at the state level three years ago, the Brazilian news agency Agência Brasil reported on Tuesday.
According to them, the former president of the mining group Vale and ten other employees of the mine operator and five employees of TÜV Süd belong to them.
The dam at the Córrego do Feijão mine in Brumadinho broke on January 25, 2019.
At that time, a mudslide spilled over the hilly landscape of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais.
It rolled over parts of the mine and neighboring settlements, taking people and animals, houses and equipment with it.
At least 260 people died.
A subsidiary of TÜV Süd had only tested the dam six months earlier and found it safe.
In the past, TÜV Süd has rejected legal responsibility for the dam breach because the mining company Vale, as the mine operator, did not comply with specifications.
The Supreme Court in Brasília recently declared the state-level procedure invalid.
At the federal level, it practically starts all over again with the subpoena of the accused.
The Association of Families of Victims and Victims (Avabrum) organized protests against the delay.
The relatives fear that in the end no one will be held responsible for the dam breach.
In view of the tortuous paths of the Brazilian judiciary in recent years, relatives of the victims have also sought justice in the court in Munich.