Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Business
By Nelson Banya

Troubled South African tailings dam had history of high water levels

South African authorities shut down the Jagersfontein diamond tailings dam in 2020 due to high water levels before allowing it to reopen last year, a company official said on Monday, a day after the dam burst, killing at least one person and injuring 40.

Sludge flooded out of the tailings dam on Sunday morning, sweeping away houses and cars in Jagersfontein in the Free State province, 514 kilometres southwest of Johannesburg.

Tailings dams - large embankments built to store mine waste - have caused numerous environmental disasters, most notably in Brazil in January 2019, when 270 people died after Vale SA's Brumadinho tailings dam collapsed.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.