Australian mining company BHP Group confirmed that it reached a final agreement with the state of Brazil by US$30,000 million in order to repair the damage caused by the dam break Samarco in the state of Minas Gerais.
In February, a Brazilian federal judge had ruled that BHP and its joint venture, Samarco, must pay up to 47.6 billion reais.
This is due to the damage caused by the collapse of the dam and the disaster generated as a consequence. The decision is still subject to appeal..
This collapse occurred in the city of Marianaand ended the lives of 19 people after a gigantic avalanche that it caused. At the same time, it deeply contaminated the River Twelveincluding its mouth into the Atlantic Ocean.
“BHP Brazil’s forecast effluents under the Agreement align with BHP’s FY2024 Samarco Dam breach provision. US$6.5 billion and no update to the existing provision is required at this time,” the mining company said in a statement.
How much did Brazil demand?
The government of Brazil had filed an application in federal court Minas Gerais asking that Mining companies Vale, BHP and their joint venture Samarco pay 79.6 billion reais ($15.73 billion) for the collapse of a tailings dam in 2015.
The petition from the country’s attorney general also asked the court to block the companies’ assets if the amount is not paid within 15 days, according to a statement.
Mining tragedy in Brazil
On November 5, 2015, Brazil experienced the worst environmental tragedy in its history. Two reservoirs of an iron mine of the company Samarco SA, a company associated with BHP, collapsed, leaving a trail of unprecedented destruction.
The tragedy took place in Marianain the heart of the state of Minas Gerais, whose history has always been marked by mining. The waste turned the towns of Bento Rodrigues and Paracatuin the rural area of Mariana, in ghost towns.
Several springs were buried and the River Twelveone of the main water corridors in the Brazilian southeast, became a sea of mud of approximately 850 kilometers crossing from the east of Minas Gerais and the state of Holy Spiritfinally reaching the Abrolhos Island.
Source: Ambito
