Vale and BHP agree on Mariana dam disaster
Vale and BHP agree on claims in the UK and Netherlands on the Fundão Dam rupture in Brazil.
Mariana, Oct. 30th, 2016 - Jose Barbosa, like most residents from the Bento Rodrigues district - the closest from the Fundao dam and most affected by the mud slide - lost everything when the Fundão dam ruptured
© Gustavo Basso / ShutterstockBHP has been a defendant to a group action claim in the English High Court, brought by more than 600,000 claimants seeking damages to the Fundão Dam rupture in Brazil in 2015
Vale has been a defendant to the claim brought by BHP before the English Courts.
BHP says it does not consider it is liable to the claimants and will continue to defend these proceedings, which it considers unnecessary as they duplicate the work of the Renova Foundation and legal proceedings in Brazil.
In March 2024, a claim for compensation was filed in the Netherlands for 78,000 Brazilian claimants agsints Vale and the Dutch subsidary of Samarco Mineração S.A. - the owner and operator of the dam.
BHP, BHP Brasil and Vale will each pay 50% of any potential amounts to the claimants in the English Proceedings, the Netherlands Proceedings and other proceedings in Brazil that are covered by the agreement without any admission of liability.
BHP says this reinforces the Framework Agreement from 2016 which required BHP Brasil and VAle to contribute 50% to funding of the Renova Foundation for compensation of persons impacted, where Samarco cannot contribute.
