{"id":32823,"date":"2021-08-02T13:01:07","date_gmt":"2021-08-02T13:01:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/?post_type=noticia&p=32823"},"modified":"2021-08-05T19:09:50","modified_gmt":"2021-08-05T19:09:50","slug":"british-court-reopens-case-against-bhp-for-doce-river-disaster","status":"publish","type":"noticia","link":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/en\/noticias\/british-court-reopens-case-against-bhp-for-doce-river-disaster\/","title":"British court reopens case against BHP for Doce River disaster","content":"

The London Court of Appeals decided on Tuesday, July 27, to reopen a lawsuit against the Anglo-Australian mining giant BHP Billiton, a partner of the Brazilian company Vale in the Samarco mining venture and, therefore, jointly responsible for the collapse of the Fund\u00e3o tailings dam in 2015 in the town of Mariana, state of Minas Gerais.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a result of this legal decision, the group formed by 200,000 Brazilian claimants can now appeal a ruling passed by the High Court of Manchester that dismissed the case in November 2020. The class action represents companies, indigenous communities, churches and municipalities. The group is seeking compensation of 5 billion pounds (R$35.8 billion) for the social and environmental damage caused by the collapse of the Fund\u00e3o tailings dam. <\/span><\/p>\n

The disaster caused 19 deaths and affected at least 1.2 million people, according to data<\/a> from the Doce River Basin Committee of Affected People. More than 40 million cubic meters of iron ore tailings spilled into the Doce River, from the state of Minas Gerais to the coast of neighboring Esp\u00edrito Santo.<\/span><\/p>\n

In its decision this week, the judges on the London court stated that \u201cwhile we fully understand the considerations that led the judge to the conclusion that the claim should be rejected, we believe that the appeal has a real prospect of success\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more:<\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n