Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

German court hears damages claim over Brazil dam collapse

A Munich court has heard a claim for compensation from a German certification company over a devastating dam collapse in Brazil in January, 2019

Via AP news wire
Tuesday 28 September 2021 16:39 BST
Germany Brazil Dam
Germany Brazil Dam ((c) Copyright 2021, dpa (www.dpa.de). Alle Rechte vorbehalten)

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

A Munich court on Tuesday heard a claim for compensation from a German certification company over a devastating dam collapse in Brazil in January 2019.

More than 270 people died when the dam at a mine operated by Brazilian mining company Vale collapsed, flooding nearby Brumadinho with mud. A local unit of Germany's TUeV Sued had been involved in inspecting the structure.

The city of Brumadinho and relatives of an engineer who was killed in the collapse sued TUeV Sued for compensation and damages at the state court in Munich.

Lawyers for TUeV Sued rejected any responsibility on its part at Tuesday's hearing, arguing that the probable cause was drilling and blasting for which Vale was responsible on the day of the collapse, German news agency dpa reported. The plaintiffs' lawyers contended that the company had issued a declaration of stability for the dam although it knew that there were problems.

Presiding judge Ingrid Henn said she will announce a decision on Feb. 1.

In February, Vale signed a settlement deal to pay 37.7 billion reais ($7 billion) to the state of Minas Gerais where Brumadinho is located.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in