SAO PAULO — On Friday, Brazil’s federal police brought charges against 20 individuals for their involvement in rock salt mining operations in the northeastern coastal city of Maceio, which resulted in significant destruction across five urban neighborhoods and led to the displacement of tens of thousands of residents.

The charges filed include accusations of damaging public property and committing environmental offenses. A police source, who requested anonymity, has verified that those charged are primarily employees and contractors associated with Braskem, a major petrochemical firm in the Americas.

Braskem is largely owned by Petrobras, the state-controlled oil company in Brazil, and Novonor, a construction powerhouse that was previously known as Odebrecht. The company has been engaged in rock salt mining in the region for 40 years and has faced scrutiny since urban collapses began occurring in 2018.

In a comment regarding the situation, Braskem stated that it has not yet had the opportunity to review the complete police report, and therefore refrained from discussing the details regarding the individuals linked to the company who have been indicted. The company emphasized that it has been cooperative throughout the investigation and has maintained compliance with industry laws and regulations, consistently updating the relevant authorities about its operations.

The rock salt mining process involves extracting salt from underground deposits. The removal can leave behind brine-filled cavities, leading to potential collapses as the ground above settles, posing a risk to the integrity of structures above.

The excessive extraction of rock salt has impacted approximately 200,000 residents in the capital of Alagoas state, Maceio, as reported on the official website of the Brazil Senate.

In a related development, Braskem reached a monetary settlement of $356 million with the city in July 2023. This funds are earmarked for structural repairs within the city and the establishment of a support fund for affected residents.

A significant incident occurred in December when a non-operational rock salt mine partially caved in. Fortunately, the area had already been evacuated prior to the collapse.