O BHP group is in the spotlight because he was co-owner, together with the Brazilian OK, from the mining company Samarko, which managed the iron ore tailings dam that failed on November 5, 2015.
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This event caused a disaster, considered the worst environmental tragedy in Brazil.
More than 200 plaintiffs, including the Krenak indigenous people, are part of this action, according to the law firm Pogust Goodhead, responsible for their defense, while an equivalent number of clients are preparing to join this same demand.
The firm, which achieved a victory after 4 years of proceedings, says that this is the largest collective dispute ever heard by a civil court in England.
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In total, the amount claimed from BHP could exceed £10 billion, the law firm detailed, compared to the £5 billion in damages initially estimated when the claim was filed.
The start date of the trial, whose hearings are expected to last up to 8 weeks, is “scheduled for April 9, 2024”, announced the UK High Court of Justice.
The tragedy
The dam broke near the city of Mariana , in Minas Gerais, releasing a gigantic flood of waste and mud that completely buried the district of Bento Rodrigues, killing 19 people and leaving more than 600 residents homeless.
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Then, the tailings flow reached the Atlantic Ocean, traveling 650 kilometers through the bed of the Doce River. Along the way, it caused the deaths of thousands of animals, devastated protected areas and left 280 people without water.
What does BHP say?
This is a “procedural decision”, which “has nothing to do with the merits of the action in the United Kingdom”, reacted, this Thursday (22), to BHP mining company, a group that is listed on both the London and Sydney stock exchanges, in a statement sent to AFP.
The company “disputes the claims in their entirety and will continue to defend itself” in this case. Furthermore, he believes that the action is redundant with other legal proceedings underway in Brazil.
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(To AFP)
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