"Brazil's Vale ordered to pay compensation for dam disaster", 10 Jul 2019

A judge in Brazil has ordered mining giant Vale to pay compensation for all damages caused by the collapse of the Brumadinho dam in January.

The collapse was Brazil's worst industrial accident.

The judge did not set a figure for the compensation but said that the company was responsible for fixing all the damages including the economic effects.

At least 248 people were killed as a sea of mud engulfed a staff canteen, offices and nearby farms...

Judge Elton Pupo Nogueira also said that $2.9bn (£2.3bn) of Vale's assets frozen by courts should remain blocked. He said the funds should be used to make compensation payments to affected families and businesses...

In a statement, Vale said it had a "total commitment to fair and quick reparations for the damages caused to families, community infrastructure and the environment"...