Brazil reaches $23 billion settlement with mining firms over 2015 environmental disaster

SAO PAULO -- SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's national authorities connected Friday reached a multibillion-dollar colony pinch nan mining companies responsible for a 2015 reservoir illness that nan authorities said was nan country's worst-ever biology disaster.

Under nan agreement, Samarco — a associated task of Brazilian mining elephantine Vale and Anglo-Australian patient BHP — will salary 132 cardinal reais ($23 billion) complete 20 years to compensate for human, biology and infrastructure harm caused by nan merchandise of an immense magnitude of toxic mining discarded into a awesome stream successful southeastern Minas Gerais state, sidesplitting 19 group and ravaging full villages.

“We are fixing a disaster that could person been avoided, but wasn’t,” President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said successful a hallway of nan statesmanlike palace, surrounded by governors of nan affected states, members of his administration, reporters and victims.

Lula's speech, filled pinch disapproval of what he called nan mining companies’ irresponsibility successful chasing profit complete safety, was met pinch applause from nan audience.

The toxic sludge — capable to capable 13,000 Olympic-size swimming pools — flowed down nan Doce River for 420 miles to nan Atlantic Ocean, contaminating waterways and coastal areas successful 2 neighboring states.

The mining companies told nan national authorities during negotiations that they had already paid 38 cardinal reais ($6.7 billion) successful reparations.

The colony includes compensation for much than 300,000 victims, though that fig does not relationship for everyone affected. Twice arsenic galore group — 620,000 — took their lawsuit to a UK tribunal connected Monday seeking reparations.

The people action suit astatine nan High Court successful London seeks an estimated 36 cardinal pounds ($47 billion) successful damages from BHP. The lawsuit was revenge successful Britain because 1 of BHP’s 2 main ineligible entities was based successful London astatine nan time.

The London suit prompted nan Brazilian Supreme Court's Chief Justice, Luís Roberto Barroso, to personally activity Lula's committedness to guarantee parties reached an statement domestically.

“I said pinch Lula and said, ‘Mr. President, location is simply a lawsuit abroad, and it will beryllium very damaging to nan Brazilian courts if this matter is resolved extracurricular nan country,’” Barroso said Friday astatine nan statesmanlike palace.

The Brazilian national authorities said victims would person 35,000 reais ($6,150) each, while fishermen and farmers would beryllium paid 95,000 reais ($17,000) successful full done monthly installments complete 4 years.

Cristiano Sales, 42, was calved and raised successful Bento Rodrigues, 1 of nan districts successful nan municipality of Mariana that was washed complete by nan sludge 9 years ago. When he returned to nan ruins of his location 3 months later, nan only point he recovered was a jersey from his favourite shot team, Cruzeiro.

Sales lives successful a caller location successful a vicinity built by nan mining companies arsenic portion of compensation to his father. After filing a lawsuit, he personally received 100,000 reais ($18,000) and is still pursuing further reparations done nan London suit.

“Money can’t salary for what we’ve been done here," he said. "We return nan money because it’s our right. But to opportunity that 100,000 aliases moreover 200,000 aliases 300,000 could bring backmost nan life we had — I don’t deliberation immoderate magnitude of money tin do that.”

Melbourne, Australia-based BHP said successful a connection earlier this week it believes nan UK action is unnecessary because it duplicates matters covered by reparation efforts and ineligible proceedings successful Brazil, but will proceed to take sides itself.

Pogust Goodhead, nan rule patient representing nan plaintiffs, said Friday nan colony successful Brazil shouldn’t person immoderate effect connected nan London lawsuit and that location will beryllium nary double compensation. The patient added that its clients were excluded from nan negotiations and are still pursuing afloat reparations for unresolved damages.

“The Mariana statement signed this Friday successful Brazil demonstrates that, aft 9 years of negligence, nan mining companies person yet decided to respond to nan unit from nationalist sentiment and nan proceedings successful England, which began past Monday,” nan rule patient said successful a statement. “Even so, nan amounts defined are acold from covering nan profound losses suffered by nan victims, who proceed to conflict for justness and afloat reparations.”

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Hughes reported from Bento Rodrigues, Brazil.