Police in Brazil have arrested five people in connection with a devastating dam collapse at an iron ore mine.

The dam rupture occurred on Friday in the town of Brumadinho in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais. At least 84 people have been confirmed dead and 276 others are missing.

The five arrests were made Tuesday on suspicion of negligence in safety management. They include employees of a company that inspected the dam several months ago.

The dam was constructed by Brazilian mining giant Vale SA. Another dam in the same state, also built by Vale, collapsed in 2015, killing 19 people.

The firm issued a comment saying it will cooperate with the investigation.

The bursting of the dam triggered a torrent of mud and iron ore that slammed into a town downstream, burying houses, hotels, and Vale's offices there. The rescue operation is facing difficulty.

The Brazilian government says Vale is responsible for the incident. It plans to use about 2.7 billion dollars of the firm's assets it has frozen to support residents.

NHK