Brazil does not have the resources to audit all those dams immediately, so the government is working on prioritising those that require the most urgent action, Canuto told reporters. A tailings dam at an iron ore mine owned by Vale SA in Minas Gerais state that burst last week has killed at least 65 and left nearly 300 missing.

(Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu and Ricardo Brito; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)