Executives Charged With UK Equivalent Gross Negligence Manslaughter

BHP Billiton’s mine Samarco dam collapse resulted in multiple fatalities and billions of dollars of penalties and compensation payments. Now the executives responsible for running the mine face jail.

BHP Billiton were co-owners of the mine, when a waste water dam collapsed on 5th November 2015.   The local community were swamped by mud in Brazil’s worst environmental disaster.   The mud also destroyed the habitat for fish and drinking water for the communities nearby.   It may take more than 10 years to recover the area to it’s pre-disaster condition.

It is alleged that those responsible for running the mine were aware of the risk of the dam collapsing but ignored the risks in pursuit of profit.   The dam collapse has echo’s of the Aberfan disaster in Wales when waste products slid down the mountain to kill mainly children 50 years ago.   The risks then were also known but the warnings from the local community were not heeded.

21 people are in the dock facing homicide charges after the mine disaster in Minas Gerais including Americans, Australian, South African, Frenchman and British person.   The CEO of Samarco, iron ore producer, is one the accused.   19 people died in the disaster.   The firms who employ those charged say they will defend their staff and deny they pursued profit regardless of safety implications.

21st September 2019 Feijão Dam Disaster

Brazilian federal police proposed criminal charges against mining giant Vale and German safety firm Tüv Süd and 13 of their employees over dam collapse.

Police say both firms used falsified documents that said the Feijão dam was stable

At least 248 people were killed. The collapse was Brazils worst industrial accident. Twenty two people are still missing.

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