BHP liable for 2015 Brazil dam collapse, UK court rules in mammoth lawsuit

Vale

14/11/2025 09:40

LONDON, Nov 14 (Reuters) - BHP BHP.AX can be held liable over the 2015 collapse of a dam in southeastern Brazil, London's High Court ruled on Friday.

Hundreds of thousands of Brazilians, dozens of local governments and around 2,000 businesses sued BHP over the collapse of the Fundao dam in Mariana, southeastern Brazil, which was owned and operated by BHP and Vale's VALE3.SA Samarco joint venture.

Brazil's worst environmental disaster unleashed a wave of toxic sludge that killed 19 people, left thousands homeless, flooded forests and polluted the length of the Doce River.

Judge Finola O'Farrell said in a summary of her ruling that BHP should not have continued to raise the height of the dam before its collapse, which was "a direct and immediate cause of collapse of the dam giving rise to fault-based liability on the part of BHP".

BHP said it would appeal against the ruling and continue to fight the lawsuit.

 (Reporting by Sam Tobin; editing by Sarah Young)

 ((Sam.Tobin@thomsonreuters.com;))