REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, RIO DE JANEIRO -- Fifteen people were killed after a dam in southeastern Brazil collapsed Thursday, said local sources.

Victims were buried under the mudslide and fallen rubble following the collapse of the damn, located in the central Mariana district of the state of Minas Gerais, according to on-site rescue workers.

As many as 45 people were missing in the accident.

Brazil's leading news website G1 published images of destroyed homes and cars in heavy heaps of mud.

"The situation is very serious and there was risk of more mudslides," said G1, quoting Mariana's Secretary of Social Defense Braz Azevedo as saying.

A source from Brazil's union of iron and base metal industry workers (Metabase) feared the collapse would lead to greater damage.

Sniffer dogs were used to help with locating victims.

The dam belongs to Samarco, a mining company, which issued a brief statement after the accident, saying it "could not currently confirm the cause or size of the incident."

The company also warned people, except for teams involved in the emergency rescue, should stay away from the site for the sake of security.

No other details are available for the time being.

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