The 2015 mine dam burst is considered one of Brazil’s worst environmental disasters. 19 people died and an entire river was contaminated. Now the mining companies have been sentenced to billions in compensation.
More than eight years after a devastating dam burst in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, a court has ordered the mining companies Vale, Samarco and BHP to pay the equivalent of 8.93 billion euros for non-material damages.
The federal court in Belo Horizonte ruled on Thursday (local time) that the corporations had violated the human rights of the affected communities. In addition, there has been interest since the day of the disaster in November 2015.
Toxins from sewage treatment tanks
The dam collapse is considered one of the worst environmental tragedies in Brazilian history. On November 5, 2015, the dam of a treatment tank owned by the mine operator Samarco containing toxic substances from the mining industry burst near the town of Mariana. The toxic sludge buried the mining village of Bento Rodrigues, killing 19 residents.
The toxins also reached the Río Doce River and later into the Atlantic Ocean, 650 kilometers away. Thousands of animals died, hundreds of thousands of people no longer had clean drinking water, and tourism and fishing suffered losses on the Atlantic coast.
Compensation for projects in affected areas
According to the court, the compensation money will be paid into a government-managed fund and used for projects and initiatives in the affected areas. The Australian mining group BHP was co-owner of the Brazilian mining operator Samarco together with the Brazilian company Vale.
2019 dam burst near Brumadinho – 270 dead
Another incident occurred in January 2019. A dam burst at a retention basin at a Vale iron ore mine near the small town of Brumadinho. 13 million cubic meters of toxic mining sludge poured into the area, killing at least 270 people. The dam burst also led to a natural disaster in the region.
Anne Herrberg, ARD Rio de Janeiro, tagesschau, January 25, 2024 6:31 a.m