*The Brazilian mining company Vale and Australian company BHP have agreed to pay R$132bn (US$23.12bn) in damages for the November 2015 dam collapse in Mariana municipality, Minas Gerais state, which killed 19 people and left thousands homeless. In an agreement signed on 25 October with the Brazilian government, BHP and Vale agreed to pay R$100bn over the next 20 years to the government. Additionally, the companies agreed to pay a further R$32bn in compensation to those affected, in addition to the R$38bn which Vale and BHP say they have already paid. The collapse of the Fundão tailings dam in Mariana is regarded as Brazil’s worst environmental disaster. The agreement with the government comes amid an ongoing court case which began in the UK on 21 October in which over 600,000 claimants affected by the disaster are seeking £36bn (US$47bn) in compensation from Vale and BHP.
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LatinNews Daily - 28 October 2024
In brief: Vale and BHP sign compensation deal for Brazil mining disaster
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