An aerial view of the devastation after the dam burst in January 2019.
Photograph:
douglas magno / Agence France-Presse / Getty Images
SÃO PAULO – Brazilian mining company Vale has agreed to pay $ 7 billion in compensation to the state of Minas Gerais, where the breach of its dam killed 270 people, polluted rivers and destroyed the surrounding landscape.
Thursday’s agreement, the largest judicial settlement in Brazil’s history, according to the Public Ministry, aims to indemnify the State for the socio-economic damage caused by the disaster, but does not affect a series of homicides and environmental charges pending in the case.
When the Vale dam burst in Brumadinho in January 2019, it unleashed a tsunami of mining waste in the valley at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour, sweeping the local canteen as many workers were having lunch, as well as destroying nearby houses and an inn .
“Vale is committed to fully repairing and indemnifying the damages caused by the Brumadinho tragedy and to increasingly contributing to the improvement and development of the communities in which we operate,” said CEO Eduardo Bartolomeo in a statement. “We know that we have work to do and we remain firm in that purpose.”
The disaster at the Brumadinho tailings dam in Brazil killed 270 people. This video shows the moment when the disaster started. Photo: AP / Globo TV (Originally published on February 1, 2019)
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