🇬🇧 UK Court Holds BHP Liable for Brazil’s Worst Environmental Disaster
A UK High Court has ruled that mining giant BHP is legally responsible for the catastrophic 2015 dam collapse in Mariana, Brazil — considered the country’s worst-ever environmental disaster.
The collapse of the Samarco dam, jointly owned by BHP and Vale, released tens of millions of cubic metres of toxic waste, killing 19 people, destroying entire communities, and contaminating the Rio Doce river.
More than 600,000 victims, including residents, local authorities and businesses, are represented in a civil lawsuit in London valued at up to £36 billion. Lawyers argued successfully that the case belonged in the UK because BHP’s headquarters were based there at the time of the disaster.
Although BHP plans to appeal, the court found that raising the dam’s height despite safety concerns was the “direct and immediate cause” of the collapse.
Both BHP and Vale have already launched the Renova Foundation, which has compensated many victims in Brazil through cash payments or new housing. BHP claims 240,000 people involved in the UK case have already received compensation locally — but the claimants’ legal team argues many were pressured into accepting settlements far below the real value.
The case has also grown more complex due to accusations in Brazil that the claimants’ law firm, Pogust Goodhead, allegedly used “misleading” contracts with vulnerable Brazilians — allegations the firm denies.
As the legal battle continues in multiple countries, many victims insist that no amount of compensation can erase the loss and long-term damage caused by the disaster.
