Brazil: Flower petals released over site of dam collapse

Brumadinho: A week after the deadly collapse of a mining dam in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, rescue workers paid homage to the 110 victims killed and 238 who are still missing.

Excavators stopped digging in the mud, and rescuers looking for survivors in the thick mine tailings all looked to the sky as ten fire department and police helicopters released flower petals onto the iron ore mining complex.

An official said that authorities were not calling off the search for bodies although no one had been found alive since Saturday.

Edvan Cristi, 23, who lost several friends who worked for the Vale mining company, said the city will now suffer tremendously, as the majority of young people worked in mining.

"Everybody, the majority worked in mining," he said.

On Friday, operations seemed to enter a new phase as firefighters began excavating the mud with heavy machinery.

So far, efforts have been focused on finding bodies closer to the surface and did not involve excavators.

A march in homage to the victims is expected to take place later Friday in the center of Brumadinho.