UK Court Holds BHP Accountable for Brazil's Catastrophic Dam Disaster

Fri Nov 14 2025 23:02:33 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The High Court in London has ruled that mining giant BHP is liable for the catastrophic 2015 dam collapse in Brazil, considered the worst environmental disaster in the country's history.

In a landmark decision, the High Court in London has found BHP responsible for the 2015 dam collapse in Mariana, Brazil, which resulted in the deaths of 19 individuals and extensive environmental damage. The lawsuit, representing over 600,000 affected individuals and entities, seeks up to £36 billion in damages. BHP plans to appeal the ruling, arguing that a significant number of claimants have already received compensation in Brazil. The case highlights ongoing tensions between legal proceedings in multiple jurisdictions regarding compensation and accountability for the disaster.

The High Court in London has ruled that BHP, the mining company, is liable for the fatal dam collapse in Brazil that occurred in 2015, marking it as the worst environmental disaster in the nation’s history.

The disaster claimed 19 lives, polluted the local river, and destroyed hundreds of homes. The civil lawsuit filed in the UK represents over 600,000 individuals, local governments, and businesses, with claims valued up to £36 billion ($48 billion).

Despite being found liable, BHP has announced plans to contest the ruling and continues to maintain that many claimants involved in the London lawsuit had already received compensation through previous settlements in Brazil.

The dam was managed by Samarco, which is a joint venture of Vale and BHP. The collapse unleashed millions of cubic meters of toxic waste, devastating local communities and the environment.

Judge Finola O'Farrell, in her ruling, attributed the collapse to BHP increasing the dam's height when it was unsafe to do so and deemed this as the direct cause of the disaster, placing BHP under Brazilian legal liability.

BHP's legal strategies have included efforts to appeal the ruling. They assert that prior compensations to claimants in Brazil will reduce the significance of the claims in the UK.

There are existing tensions between BHP and the law firm Pogust Goodhead, representing the claimants, with accusations of discrepancies in how compensation claims are handled and the implications these have for Brazilian citizens.

The ongoing proceedings underscore the complexity of achieving justice for the affected populations, as multiple legal actions unfold across different jurisdictions.

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