Brazil has signed a 170 billion reais (US$29.85 billion) compensation agreement with BHP, Vale and Samarco for the Mariana tailings dam collapse in 2015 that killed 19 and polluted the Doce River, reported Reuters.
The collapse at the iron ore mine owned by Samarco, a joint venture between Vale and BHP, near the city of Mariana in southeastern Brazil, is considered one of the country’s worst environmental disasters.
The news agency said Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attended a ceremony in Brasilia to mark the signing of the agreement, with the government saying the first installment of 5 billion reais must be paid within 30 days.
Brazil attorney general Jorge Messias said the compensation will allow local authorities to repair the financial losses of families affected by the disaster and pay for environmental recovery actions in the states of Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo.
Source: Reuters