Latest news with #KrenakIndigenous
NDTV
03-07-2025
- Business
- NDTV
Ten Years After Brazil Mine Disaster, Pollution Persists
A decade after a dam collapsed in Brazil, sending a deluge of toxic mud into villages and waterways, residents complain of an inadequate cleanup and compensation by international mining firms. The 2015 dam collapse which killed 19 people was one of Brazil's worst environmental disasters, with survivors saying the Doce River region north of Rio de Janeiro remains heavily polluted. "The entire ecosystem around the river was destroyed," Marcelo Krenak, a leader of the Krenak Indigenous people, told AFP on the sidelines of a hearing in London held this week. The hearing is part of a large-scale legal action brought by claimants seeking compensation from Australian mining giant BHP -- which, at the time of the disaster, had one of its global headquarters in the UK. "My people, the culture, has always been linked to the river," Krenak said, wearing a traditional headdress with striking blue feathers. "The medicinal plants that only existed in the river are contaminated, the soil is contaminated, so you cannot plant, you cannot use the river water for animals," he added. Following a mega-trial that concluded in March, the claimants now await a decision from the British High Court in the coming weeks regarding BHP's liability for the disaster. The Fundao tailings dam at an iron ore mine in Minas Gerais state was managed by Samarco, co-owned by BHP and Brazilian miner Vale. The High Court is already preparing the second phase of the case to determine potential damages and compensation, which could begin in October 2026 if BHP is found liable. 'Terrible tragedy' The company told AFP that "the recovery of the Doce River, the water quality of which had already returned to pre-dam failure levels, remained a focus". Acknowledging the "terrible tragedy", BHP said it is "committed to supporting Samarco to do what's right by the Brazilian people, communities, organisations, and environments affected by the dam failure". BHP maintains that the compensation agreement it reached last year in Brazil -- worth around $31 billion -- provides a resolution. However, a majority of the 620,000 claimants, including 46 municipalities, argue that they are not sufficiently covered by the deal and are instead seeking around £35 billion ($49 billion) in damages. Krenak said the claimants will at a potential future hearing present "visual evidence, photos and videos of what was done, what caused it, and the damage it is causing to this day". The city of Mariana, one of the areas hardest hit by the disaster, is seeking 28 billion Brazilian real ($5 billion) in compensation. "Our hope is that here in London, the municipality will be heard because, in Brazil, we were not heard," Mayor of Mariana, Juliano Duarte, told AFP. Duarte said he believes the British legal system will hold BHP accountable, which could pressure the company to negotiate directly with the claimants. He said the municipality is "open" to negotiation but "will not accept crumbs like those that were offered in Brazil".
France 24
03-07-2025
- Business
- France 24
Ten years after Brazil mine disaster, pollution persists
The 2015 dam collapse which killed 19 people was one of Brazil's worst environmental disasters, with survivors saying the Doce River region north of Rio de Janeiro remains heavily polluted. "The entire ecosystem around the river was destroyed," Marcelo Krenak, a leader of the Krenak Indigenous people, told AFP on the sidelines of a hearing in London held this week. The hearing is part of a large-scale legal action brought by claimants seeking compensation from Australian mining giant BHP -- which, at the time of the disaster, had one of its global headquarters in the UK. "My people, the culture, has always been linked to the river," Krenak said, wearing a traditional headdress with striking blue feathers. "The medicinal plants that only existed in the river are contaminated, the soil is contaminated, so you cannot plant, you cannot use the river water for animals," he added. Following a mega-trial that concluded in March, the claimants now await a decision from the British High Court in the coming weeks regarding BHP's liability for the disaster. The Fundao tailings dam at an iron ore mine in Minas Gerais state was managed by Samarco, co-owned by BHP and Brazilian miner Vale. The High Court is already preparing the second phase of the case to determine potential damages and compensation, which could begin in October 2026 if BHP is found liable. 'Terrible tragedy' The company told AFP that "the recovery of the Doce River, the water quality of which had already returned to pre-dam failure levels, remained a focus". Acknowledging the "terrible tragedy", BHP said it is "committed to supporting Samarco to do what's right by the Brazilian people, communities, organisations, and environments affected by the dam failure". BHP maintains that the compensation agreement it reached last year in Brazil -- worth around $31 billion -- provides a resolution. However, a majority of the 620,000 claimants, including 46 municipalities, argue that they are not sufficiently covered by the deal and are instead seeking around £35 billion ($49 billion) in damages. Krenak said the claimants will at a potential future hearing present "visual evidence, photos and videos of what was done, what caused it, and the damage it is causing to this day". The city of Mariana, one of the areas hardest hit by the disaster, is seeking 28 billion Brazilian real ($5 billion) in compensation. "Our hope is that here in London, the municipality will be heard because, in Brazil, we were not heard," Mayor of Mariana, Juliano Duarte, told AFP. Duarte said he believes the British legal system will hold BHP accountable, which could pressure the company to negotiate directly with the claimants. He said the municipality is "open" to negotiation but "will not accept crumbs like those that were offered in Brazil".
Int'l Business Times
03-07-2025
- Business
- Int'l Business Times
Ten Years After Brazil Mine Disaster, Pollution Persists
A decade after a dam collapsed in Brazil, sending a deluge of toxic mud into villages and waterways, residents complain of an inadequate cleanup and compensation by international mining firms. The 2015 dam collapse which killed 19 people was one of Brazil's worst environmental disasters, with survivors saying the Doce River region north of Rio de Janeiro remains heavily polluted. "The entire ecosystem around the river was destroyed," Marcelo Krenak, a leader of the Krenak Indigenous people, told AFP on the sidelines of a hearing in London held this week. The hearing is part of a large-scale legal action brought by claimants seeking compensation from Australian mining giant BHP -- which, at the time of the disaster, had one of its global headquarters in the UK. "My people, the culture, has always been linked to the river," Krenak said, wearing a traditional headdress with striking blue feathers. "The medicinal plants that only existed in the river are contaminated, the soil is contaminated, so you cannot plant, you cannot use the river water for animals," he added. Following a mega-trial that concluded in March, the claimants now await a decision from the British High Court in the coming weeks regarding BHP's liability for the disaster. The Fundao tailings dam at an iron ore mine in Minas Gerais state was managed by Samarco, co-owned by BHP and Brazilian miner Vale. The High Court is already preparing the second phase of the case to determine potential damages and compensation, which could begin in October 2026 if BHP is found liable. The company told AFP that "the recovery of the Doce River, the water quality of which had already returned to pre-dam failure levels, remained a focus". Acknowledging the "terrible tragedy", BHP said it is "committed to supporting Samarco to do what's right by the Brazilian people, communities, organisations, and environments affected by the dam failure". BHP maintains that the compensation agreement it reached last year in Brazil -- worth around $31 billion -- provides a resolution. However, a majority of the 620,000 claimants, including 46 municipalities, argue that they are not sufficiently covered by the deal and are instead seeking around GBP35 billion ($49 billion) in damages. Krenak said the claimants will at a potential future hearing present "visual evidence, photos and videos of what was done, what caused it, and the damage it is causing to this day". The city of Mariana, one of the areas hardest hit by the disaster, is seeking 28 billion Brazilian real ($5 billion) in compensation. "Our hope is that here in London, the municipality will be heard because, in Brazil, we were not heard," Mayor of Mariana, Juliano Duarte, told AFP. Duarte said he believes the British legal system will hold BHP accountable, which could pressure the company to negotiate directly with the claimants. He said the municipality is "open" to negotiation but "will not accept crumbs like those that were offered in Brazil". The city of Mariana, one of the areas hardest hit by the disaster, which is seeking around $5 billion in compensation AFP The 2015 dam collapse killed 19 people and unleashed a deluge of thick toxic mud into villages, fields, rainforest, rivers and the ocean AFP
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Yahoo
London judge to rule on whether mining company is liable in Brazil's worst environmental disaster
LONDON (AP) — A lawyer argued Thursday that global mining giant BHP Group should be held liable for Brazil's worst environmental disaster 10 years ago when a dam collapse poured tons of toxic mining waste into a major waterway that killed 19 people and devastated villages. High Court Justice Finola O'Farrell said she would rule later in the class action case in which claimants are seeking 36 billion pounds ($47 billion) in damages from Australia-based BHP. The case was filed in Britain because one of BHP's two main legal entities was based in London at the time. BHP owns 50% of Samarco, the Brazilian company that operates the iron ore mine where the tailings dam ruptured on Nov. 5, 2015. Enough mine waste to fill 13,000 Olympic-size swimming pools poured into the Doce River in southeastern Brazil. 'As a result of its heavy involvement in Samarco's operations, BHP had many opportunities to avert disaster but failed to do so and instead kept allowing and encouraging the dam to be raised by constantly pushing for ever greater production by Samarco,' attorney Alain Choo Choy said in his closing argument. A defense lawyer had argued that BHP did not own or operate the Fundao dam and the company was not responsible for the pollution. The company also said a deadline to bring the claims had expired before the lawsuit was filed on behalf of 600,000 Brazilians. Sludge from the burst dam destroyed the once-bustling village of Bento Rodrigues in Minas Gerais state and badly damaged other towns. The disaster killed 14 tons of freshwater fish and damaged 660 kilometers (410 miles) of the Doce River, according to a study by the University of Ulster. The river, which the Krenak Indigenous people revere as a deity, has yet to recover. The trial began in October, just days before Brazil's federal government reached a multibillion-dollar settlement with the mining companies. Under the agreement, Samarco — which is also half owned by Brazilian mining giant Vale — agreed to pay 132 billion reais ($23 billion) over 20 years. The payments were meant to compensate for human, environmental and infrastructure damage. BHP had said the U.K. legal action was unnecessary because it duplicated matters covered by legal proceedings in Brazil. Speaking to journalists at an online conference after the hearing, lawyers and victims said they were hopeful BHP would be convicted. José Eduardo Cardozo, Brazil's former justice minister and a lawyer in the case, said the evidence against the company was overwhelming. Pamela Fernandes, whose 5-year-old daughter, Emanuelle, died in the disaster, has been making trips to London since last year to attend the trial proceedings. 'Just knowing that the trial has come to an end — today was the closing arguments — I already feel very relieved,' Fernandes said. 'Being here is very painful. ' Sign in to access your portfolio
The Independent
13-03-2025
- The Independent
London judge to rule on whether mining company is liable in Brazil's worst environmental disaster
A lawyer argued Thursday that global mining giant BHP Group should be held liable for Brazil's worst environmental disaster 10 years ago when a dam collapse poured tons of toxic mining waste into a major waterway that killed 19 people and devastated villages. High Court Justice Finola O'Farrell said she would rule later in the class action case in which claimants are seeking 36 billion pounds ($47 billion) in damages from Australia-based BHP. The case was filed in Britain because one of BHP's two main legal entities was based in London at the time. BHP owns 50% of Samarco, the Brazilian company that operates the iron ore mine where the tailings dam ruptured on Nov. 5, 2015. Enough mine waste to fill 13,000 Olympic-size swimming pools poured into the Doce River in southeastern Brazil. 'As a result of its heavy involvement in Samarco's operations, BHP had many opportunities to avert disaster but failed to do so and instead kept allowing and encouraging the dam to be raised by constantly pushing for ever greater production by Samarco,' attorney Alain Choo Choy said in his closing argument. A defense lawyer had argued that BHP did not own or operate the Fundao dam and the company was not responsible for the pollution. The company also said a deadline to bring the claims had expired before the lawsuit was filed on behalf of 600,000 Brazilians. Sludge from the burst dam destroyed the once-bustling village of Bento Rodrigues in Minas Gerais state and badly damaged other towns. The disaster killed 14 tons of freshwater fish and damaged 660 kilometers (410 miles) of the Doce River, according to a study by the University of Ulster. The river, which the Krenak Indigenous people revere as a deity, has yet to recover. The trial began in October, just days before Brazil's federal government reached a multibillion-dollar settlement with the mining companies. Under the agreement, Samarco — which is also half owned by Brazilian mining giant Vale — agreed to pay 132 billion reais ($23 billion) over 20 years. The payments were meant to compensate for human, environmental and infrastructure damage. BHP had said the U.K. legal action was unnecessary because it duplicated matters covered by legal proceedings in Brazil.
