BRASILIA, Jan 25 (Reuters) - A dam belonging to Brazilian miner Vale SA ruptured on Friday in southeastern Minas Gerais state, pouring out mud into the surrounding area and leading local residents to be evacuated, news website G1 reported.

The local fire department confirmed the dam break in Brumadinho near Belo Horizonte and told Reuters it has received unconfirmed reports of fatalities resulting from the incident. A Vale spokeswoman said that the company has not immediately confirmed media reports of the dam break. (Reporting by Jake Spring and Marta Nogueira Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)