Crews are ramping up search efforts in southeast Brazil. At least 99 were killed in a dam collapse last week. Officials have said the chances of finding survivors is unlikely, and some bodies may never be recovered.

CGTN’s Paulo Cabral filed this report from Brumadinho.

Scores of people lost their lives in the Vale SA dam disaster in Brumadinho. Many others survived, but lost everything. As the mining waste came downhill, it destroyed houses, cars, and crops. It also contaminated the environment over a vast area.

At an emergency center, people affected by the disaster can report to state officials what they’ve lost. They can also claim compensation from the mining company, but it’s unclear when or how that will actually happen.

Vale has already offered a donation of 100,000 reais (about $27,000) for those with relatives confirmed dead or missing. However, the company has yet to explain how people affected in other ways will be compensated.

Houses that people took years to buy or build were destroyed by the mud in a matter of seconds. One big question now is how long it will take for the people affected by this disaster to rebuild their lives.