UK court finds mining firm liable for Brazil's worst environmental disaster

15/11/2025 51 min
UK court finds mining firm liable for Brazil's worst environmental disaster

Listen "UK court finds mining firm liable for Brazil's worst environmental disaster"

Episode Synopsis

A court in Britain has ruled that the mining company BHP is legally responsible for the collapse of a dam in 2015 which caused one of Brazil's worst environmental disasters. The failure of the Mariana dam (in southeastern Brazil) unleashed a wave of toxic waste that killed nineteen people and polluted a major river. It was owned by a joint venture between the Brazilian firm, Vale, and BHP - which was headquartered in Britain at the time. Hundreds of thousands of Brazilian victims are seeking what could amount to billions of dollars in compensation. BHP says it intends to appeal.

Also in the programme: controversy in Turkish football; and we hear from a mystery person photographed during the Louvre heist.

(Photo: A view shows the BHP Group logo at their headquarters in Melbourne, Australia. CREDIT: REUTERS/Hollie Adams/File Photo)