BRUMADINHO, Brazil (NBC) – Amidst a rising death toll following a dam collapse in Brazil last week, an inspirational story emerges.
Images of a dramatic helicopter rescue after the collapse went viral last week.
Now, local man Jefferson Ferreira is being called a hero after saving a woman from the sea of mud.
Ferreira was out looking for his sister amongst the destruction when he heard of a report that someone was still alive in the mud. Thinking it might be his sister, Ferreira rushed to the site with a friend. When he arrived, he learned it was not his sister, but rather a 15-year-old girl trapped in the mud.
Ferreira waded through the sea of thick mud to reach the girl who was trapped elbow-deep. He stayed by the girl’s side until rescuers arrived in a helicopter, helping to lift her up to the chopper to safety.
Video of the dramatic rescue has gone viral in Brazil, catapulting Ferreira to nationwide fame. But for this local hero, it is a bittersweet moment. Ferreira’s sister Jussara remains missing.
So far, rescue teams have recovered the bodies of 99 people buried after the rupture last week of a Vale Tailings dam. Over 250 people are still missing, and hope of finding more survivors is fading.
The dam ruptured January 26, sending a wave of iron ore waste and mud down the hill, destroying everything in its path, including residential areas, at least two small hotels and a large administrative area of mining giant Vale, owner of the mining complex where the dam was located.
The tailings dam, which belongs to Vale, has a large amount of deposits of wastes and chemical substances.
After the dam collapsed, concerns rose over the possibility of chemical pollution and poisoning.
By Wednesday, no specific chemical compositions were disclosed.
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