By Jeffrey T. Lewis and Paulo Trevisani 

SÃO PAULO -- Brazilian police arrested five people Tuesday in connection with the deadly collapse of a dam owned by iron-ore producer Vale SA, including employees of the mining company.

The number killed by the tide of mud and mining debris that swept through the burst dam Friday had risen to 65 by Monday evening, while close to 300 people are still missing and feared dead.

Police said two engineers working for a company hired by Vale to inspect the dam before its collapse were arrested in São Paulo. Three Vale employees were detained in or near the city of Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais state, where the dam was located.

Police also seized documents and other items belonging to the five detainees. Vale said in a note that the company is cooperating fully with investigators.

The dam collapse destroyed nearby offices and a bar belonging to Vale and debris smashed into parts of the small town of Brumadinho in Minas Gerais.

Write to Jeffrey T. Lewis at jeffrey.lewis@wsj.com and Paulo Trevisani at paulo.trevisani@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 29, 2019 06:26 ET (11:26 GMT)