London judge finds global mining giant BHP Group  liable in Brazil’s worst environmental disaster

LONDON, Nov 14: A London judge Friday ruled that global mining giant BHP Group is liable in Brazil’s worst environmental disaster when a dam collapse 10 years ago unleashed tons of toxic waste into a major river, killing 19 people and devastating villages downstream. High Court Justice Finola O’Farrell said Australia-based BHP was responsible despite not owning the dam at the time. Anglo-Australian BHP owns 50 per cent of Samarco, the Brazilian company that operates the iron ore mine where the tailings dam ruptured on November 5, 2015. Enough mine waste to fill 13,000 Olympic-size swimming pools poured into the Doce River in southeastern Brazil. Sludge from the burst dam destroyed the once-bustling village of Bento Rodrigues in Minas Gerais state and badly damaged other towns. Th