An initial hearing of a class action against mining giant Rio Tinto over the toxic legacy of the Panguna copper mine on the autonomous island of Bougainville has been held in Papua New Guinea.

The lawsuit against Rio Tinto and its subsidiary Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL) is seeking compensation, expected to be in the billions of dollars, for what plaintiffs allege is historic mismanagement of the massive open copper-and-gold mine between 1972 and 1989.

More than 5,000 claimants backed by anonymous investors are seeking damages for the destruction that sparked a 10-year long civil war.

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The initial hearing for the lawsuit took place on Wednesday, a day ahead of schedule, …

Rio Tinto did not respond to specific questions regarding this week’s hearing, but said in a statement on Sept. 23 it had submitted a defense and would strongly defend its position in the case.

The lawsuit is made up by the majority of villagers in the affected area of Bougainville, …

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The class action is running in parallel with an independent assessment of the mine’s legacy, supported by human rights groups and the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG), and funded by Rio Tinto.

Rio Tinto agreed in 2021 to take part in the … Assessment after the Melbourne-based Human Rights Law Centre filed a complaint with the Australian government, on behalf of Bougainville residents.

The group said the … mining giant has failed to address Panguna’s legacy of destruction, including the alleged dumping of more than a billion tonnes of mine waste into rivers that continues to affect health, the environment and livelihoods.

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In February, the autonomous government granted Australian-listed Bougainville Copper a five-year exploration license to revive the Panguna mine site.

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In response to the class action, Rio Tinto said last month its focus remained on “constructive engagement and meaningful action with local stakeholders” through the legacy assessment.

The company said it was “seeking to partner with key stakeholders, such as the ABG and BCL, to design and implement a remedy framework.”