Death toll of Brazil dam disaster climbs to 13

Rescue workers on Thursday found remains of one of the victims in Brazil's collapsed dam happening earlier this month, bringing the death toll to 13.

The body of the unidentified victim was found in Mariana, a town in Minas Gerais state that is in the direct path of massive amount of iron ore waste spilled out after the tailings dam collapsed.

The death toll is expected to rise as 11 people remain missing three weeks after the tailings dam belonging to Samarco, an iron ore mining company, broke on Nov. 5, unleashing a toxic mudslide that buried part of a town.

Mining company Samarco, owned by Brazilian multinational firm Vale and the Anglo-Australian BHP Billiton, has yet to come up with a cause for the biggest mining disaster in Brazil over a decade.

The mudslide has devastated the region's Doce River, decimating fish species, and is flowing into the Atlantic, where it threatens marine breeding grounds for sea turtles and other wildlife.

The spill also threatens the water supply of communities along the river. In response, and after pressure from area residents, the Samarco has been supplying communities with bottled water, though it denies the spill is poisoning the environment.

The United Nations, nevertheless, contradicted Samarco's claim Wednesday, saying the residue "contained high levels of toxic heavy metals and other toxic chemicals." Endit