By Jeffrey T. Lewis 

SÃO PAULO -- Brazilian iron ore giant Vale SA said Friday a dam burst at its Mina Feijão mining operation in the town of Brumadinho, in the state of Minas Gerais.

Local and state authorities weren't immediately available to comment on the accident. Brazilian news reports showed images of mud-filled rivers and washed-out roads.

Vale said spillage from the dam reached the company's administrative area and part of the community of Vila Ferteco, and that rescue workers had been sent to the site.

A Vale spokeswoman said the company had no more information on the situation at the mine, nor could she provide information on the volume of matter that the dam had contained. The company's American depositary receipts fell 12% to $13.08 in heavy volume after initial reports of the accident.

Vale is half owner of Samarco SA, a mining operation whose tailings dam in the state of Minas Gerais burst in 2015, killing 19 people and polluting hundreds of miles of rivers with iron-ore waste.

Write to Jeffrey T. Lewis at jeffrey.lewis@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 25, 2019 12:42 ET (17:42 GMT)