Brazil - October 2024

The Brazilian government and the Samarco mining company, responsible for a catastrophic dam breach in  Mariana (Minas Gerais), have settled for USD 31 billion in compensation. In 2015, a dam  holding a tailings pond filled with iron ore waste, belonging to the Samarco mining company, collapsed, leading to the release of a flood of toxic waste. The disaster, deemed as the result of the company’s negligence, killed 19 people, displaced thousands, led to the destruction of several villages, and polluted the Rio Doce, a river vital for many communities and which remains contaminated. The settlement is intended to be used for environmental recovery and to compensate over 300,000 victims. However, civil society groups argue it falls short of addressing the full extent of the damage. In parallel, a class action lawsuit representing over 600,000 victims of the Mariana tragedy is scheduled to start on 21 October in London against BHP, a mining giant that partially owns Samarco.

Sources: G1, Midia Ninja, AP news, Infobae, The Guardian