Why are victims of a Brazil dam disaster suing miner BHP in a London court?
The mining giant faces a potential $47bn lawsuit filed by at least 600,000 people over the 2015 mining disaster that killed 19.
Global mining giant BHP faces billions of dollars in potential damages payouts over Brazil’s worst environmental disaster nine years ago, as the first hearing in the much-delayed lawsuit opened in a London court on Monday.
On November 5, 2015, a tailings dam collapsed releasing iron ore sludge into the Rio Doce (Sweet River) in southeastern Brazil. The toxic waste contaminated the river water and damaged its ecosystem. The mining waste washed away the nearby Bento Rodrigues village, killing at least 19 people.
The class action lawsuit first filed in November 2018 seeks about $47bn in damages, making it the largest environmental payout ever, according to law firm Pogust Goodhead, which is representing the plaintiffs.
The Mariana dam, also known as the Fundao dam, which stored nearly 50 million cubic metres of iron ore sludge, collapsed on November 5, 2015, washing away the Bento Rodrigues village, which now resembles a ghost town.
