According to Globo, two engineers working for Vale's contractor were detained in Sao Paulo and three staff members responsible for licensing the dam were detained in Minas Gerais.
Earlier, local media reported that a court in the southwestern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais had frozen 5 billion reals ($1.3 billion) in Vale's bank accounts.
READ MORE: About 200 People Reported Missing After Mining Dam Collapses in Brazil
Nearly 60 people were found dead and over 300 remained missing after the dam, owned by Brazilian mining corporation Vale, burst last Friday triggering heavy floods of red iron ore waste.