"SAO PAULO - A Brazilian federal judge ruled that miners Vale, BHP and their joint venture Samarco must pay 47.6 billion reais ($9.67 billion) in damages for a 2015 tailings dam burst, according to a legal decision on Thursday seen by Reuters.
Vale and BHP said in separate statements they were not informed by the judiciary about the decision. Samarco declined to comment.
The dam collapse in the southeastern city of Mariana caused a giant mudslide that killed 19 people and severely polluted the Rio Doce river, compromising the waterway to its outlet in the Atlantic Ocean.
In the decision, judge Vinicius Cobucci wrote that the amount was fixed taking as a parameter the value of expenses already acknowledged by the companies in repair and compensation actions. He added the 47.6 billion reais need to be adjusted by monetary correction and late payment interest."
Marta Nogueira and Andre Romani report for Reuters January 25, 2024.
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