A judge in Brazil has ordered mining giant Vale to pay compensation for all damages caused by the collapse of the Brumadinho dam in January.<\/p>\n
The collapse was Brazil’s worst industrial accident.<\/p>\n
The judge did not set a figure for the compensation but said that the company was responsible for fixing all the damages including the economic effects.<\/p>\n
At least 248 people were killed as a sea of mud engulfed a staff canteen, offices and nearby farms.<\/p>\n
Twenty-two people are still missing following the collapse of the Feij\u00e3o dam on 25 January.<\/p>\n
Judge Elton Pupo Nogueira also said that $2.9bn (\u00a32.3bn) of Vale’s assets frozen by courts should remain blocked. He said the funds should be used to make compensation payments to affected families and businesses.<\/p>\n
Explaining why he had not specify an amount for Vale to pay out, he argued that technical and scientific criteria were not enough to quantify the effects of the collapse.<\/p>\n
“The value [of the compensation] is not limited to the deaths resulting from the event, it also affects the environment on a local and regional level as well as the economic activity in the affected region.”<\/p>\n
The judge said Vale had so far co-operated with the justice system and taken all the actions required from it following conciliation hearings.<\/p>\n
He also pointed out that Vale’s defence team had not denied responsibility for the damage caused by the collapse of the dam.<\/p>\n
In a statement, Vale said it had a “total commitment to fair and quick reparations for the damages caused to families, community infrastructure and the environment”.<\/p>\n
While Judge Nogueira’s ruling on Tuesday is the first conviction for Vale over dam collapse, it is unlikely to be the end of its legal troubles.<\/p>\n
Last week, the Brazilian Senate urged prosecutors to bring charges ranging from environmental damage to involuntary manslaughter against top managers at Vale at the time of the dam collapse.<\/p>\n
Vale said that it disagreed with the Senate’s recommendation and insisted that senior company officials had not been aware of any “imminent risks” at the dam prior to its collapse.<\/p>\n
While not legally binding, the Senate recommendation has further increased pressure on the mining giant.<\/p>\n
There are also concerns that other dams may be at risk of collapse.<\/p>\n
Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"