A British court found Australian mining giant BHP liable yesterday for the devastating collapse of a mining dam in Brazil in 2015, Agence France-Presse reported.
The decision paves the way for tens of billions of British pounds in compensation for 620,000 claimants registered in this case.
"BHP is fully liable as "the polluter for the damage caused by the collapse", the Supreme Court of Appeal in London ruled in its decision after a lengthy trial between October 2024 and March 2025, in which experts and victims spoke.
The court also ruled that the company had shown "negligence, recklessness and/or lack of competence" regarding the condition of the dam, despite studies and recommendations. "The risk of the dam collapsing was foreseeable", the court concluded.
In Brazil, which is currently hosting the COP30 climate conference, BHP was acquitted a year ago by a court in a criminal case due to lack of evidence - a decision that the plaintiffs have appealed, AFP reported.