These words of the Bee Gees on mining disasters point to the need for regular inspections of high-risk mine tailings dams, as a Brazilian prosecutor now says he emphasised ahead of the bursting of a slimes dam wall at the Germano iron-ore mine of the Samarco mining company, near the town of Mariana, in Minas Gerais. Owned by mining giants Vale and BHP Billiton, the mine’s muddy floodwater not only killed four people and left hundreds homeless but also released a deluge of invective against billionaire mining companies that fail to keep their operations safe.