Luiz' partner, Fernanda Damian, who was five months pregnant and lived in an apartment with him in Sydney, has not been found, as well as his stepmother Maria de Lurdes Bueno. The two remain on the list of missing people published by the Brazilian authorities.
Found so far are the bodies of Luiz, his sister Camila and their father Adriano Ribeiro.
Helena Taliberti spoke to SBS in Portuguese from the airport of Belo Horizonte where she was preparing to return home in São Paulo. "Fernanda's parents decided to go back home and we followed their decision. They went to Curitiba and we are on our way to Sao Paulo. We will wait for the authorities announcements on the progress of the searches."
According to Ms Taliberti, the violent impact of the sea of mud ‘dragged’ the inn where the group was staying.
Fernanda Damian's body has not been found Source: Facebook
"The avalanche did not follow a single course, we do not know where the people, the bodies went. We thought that if we found one, we would find all, but it is not like that. Now searches are being made in more distant places. We are hopeful that in the next few days Fernanda and Maria de Lurdes can be found. "
"It is an agony to get out of here without knowing where are they. We're praying. "
The family decided to cremate the bodies of Luiz and Camila. "Yes, they were cremated," says Helena, "we are taking the ashes with us. We still do not know what we’ll do, we would like to have Fernanda with us," she added.
Luiz Taliberti, an award-winning architect who lived with Fernanda in Sydney, was honoured by his workmates in the architecture office where he worked. Helena said she was immensely touched by the tribute paid to her son by his Australian colleagues.
"I was very moved and surprised. The amount of friends he had in Brazil and Australia. Luiz said that his workmates were like his family in Australia.
"The Australian office staff did a beautiful tribute to him. This comforts a mother's heart."
Helena said that Luiz and Fernanda loved living in Australia.
"He was passionate about Australia. I confess to you that this passion has extended to our family. I went three times to Australia, every time I went I fell more in love with the place.”
Luiz at a work function in Sydney: "We feel we lost a brother," said workmate Andrei Dolnikov. Source: Supplied
"He had no plans to return to Brazil any time soon, he wanted to see their son born in Australia. Fernanda also loved living in Australia, they were planning to have the baby born over there."
Helena and her husband Vagner Diniz have been vocal about the dam’s rupture and Vale’s response. "You cannot say it was a ‘natural disaster’. You cannot say it was a tragedy, we know it wasn’t. And it will not happen again and it cannot happen again. Two days ago they evacuated two more communities, there are more people displaced there, with danger of another collapse of the dam.
"Minas Gerais is a state based entirely on mining; the danger of this happening again is great."
Helena said she takes her strength to talk to the media from the anger she feels.
"I think what moves me is this anger, that the warning siren did not work and avoid the death of my children. The siren did not sound, how could that happen?
Source: Corpo de Bombeiros de Minas Gerais/ Divulgação
"They knew it, and they did nothing," says Helena.
Despite the painful searches, the struggle to put the names of all family members on Vale’s list of missing people (the company initially did not include names of victims who were not employees), Helena said that in these 15 days in Brumadinho, she found a lot of good and generous people.
"We saw volunteers who went to distant places to take food and water to the firemen, who were working non-stop. We saw volunteers who went to wash the firemen's clothes, volunteers who washed the firemen who were covered in mud," she added.
"Now my life is taking a new turn, I'm going to arrive in São Paulo, Luiz was staying at my house, his things are still there. I'm going to have to go to Camila's house. I do not know how things are going to be. But I hope everything will be fine," she said.
Source: Corpo de Bombeiros de Minas Gerais/ Divulgação
"We will always celebrate the life of Luiz and Camila, and the legacy they left"
So far the collapse of the Vale dam has killed 165 people, while 158 still missing, according to the list published on February 10 by the Civil Defense.
