BHP Billiton employees face criminal charges on Brazil dam disaster
BHP Billiton employees face criminal charges on Brazil dam disaster
Mining company denies prosecutor claims that executives knew the Samarco dam could fail but allegedly prioritised profits over safety
Rob Davies
Thursday 20 October 2016 21.36 EDT
Eight employees of BHP Billiton face criminal charges over the Samarco dam collapse a year ago that left 19 people dead and hundreds homeless, amid accusations that the company put profit before safety.
Brazilian prosecutors on Thursday charged 26 people, 21 for qualified homicide, for their alleged roles in the disaster, which sent a tidal wave of mining waste hundreds of miles through the Minas Gerais region in November 2015.
Prosecutors claimed that employees of BHP and Vale, who jointly owned the Samarco mine, knew the dam could fail but prioritised their profits over the safety of local people.
“We are yet to receive formal notification of these proceedings,” said BHP, adding that employees and former staff at the company and its Brazilian subsidiary had been charged.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/oct/20/bhp-billiton-employees-face-charges-on-brazil-dam-disaster
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The Doce River in Brazil flooded with toxic mud [/center]
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