Notable case, Bento Rodrigues, Mariana, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Mariana (Fundão dam)
On 5 November 2015 the collapse of Samarco's (Vale and BHP) Fundão tailings dam released 43.7 million cubic metres of iron-ore mud, which destroyed Bento Rodrigues and travelled down the Rio Doce to the ocean.
At a glance
- Status
- Remediation under way
- Activity
- 2015–2015
- People affected
- 19 (2015)2
- Media
- sediment, surface water, soil, living organisms
- Kind of site
- mining, accident
- Area. 668 km of watercourses reached by the tailings, down to the mouth of the Rio Doce on the Atlantic.
- People affected. Deaths. About 600 people evacuated; about 600,000 claimants in the English group action (2025).
Contaminants
Status
Remediation under way
On 14 November 2025 the High Court in London found BHP liable; the trial on damages, with about 600,000 claimants, is scheduled for October 2026.
Story
The dam was part of the Germano mining complex of Samarco, a 50:50 venture between Vale and BHP Billiton. The mud overran the village of Bento Rodrigues, 2.5 km downstream, and reached Paracatu de Baixo, 40 km away; 19 people died and about 600 were evacuated. The tailings entered the Rio Doce that evening and reached the Atlantic on 22 November, 17 days later. Several cities along the river, on which 230 municipalities depend, were left without water.
Arsenic, lead and mercury were reported in the mud and water, along with iron. In 2016 a first penalty of R$20 billion was agreed; in October 2024 a new compensation agreement was signed and validated the following month at R$170 billion.
Timeline
- 2015Fundão dam collapses (5 November); the mud reaches the Atlantic on 22 November.
- 2016First agreement, R$20 billion.
- 2024New reparation settlement, R$170 billion.
- 2025The High Court in London finds BHP liable.
From the literature
Species that acted on one of this site's contaminants in at least one study. The list is automatic and takes no account of this site's soil, concentrations or climate.
Plants
- Pteris vittataChinese brake fernEvidence: field
- Agrostis capillarisCommon bentEvidence: field
- Cannabis sativaIndustrial hempEvidence: field
- Eichhornia crassipesWater hyacinthEvidence: field
- Festuca rubraRed fescueEvidence: field
- Ricinus communisCastor beanEvidence: field
Fungi
- Funneliformis mosseaeEvidence: greenhouse
- Aspergillus nigerBlack mouldEvidence: laboratory
- Mucor circinelloidesEvidence: laboratory
- Agaricus bisporusButton mushroomEvidence: laboratory
- Fomitopsis pinicolaRed-belted conkEvidence: laboratory
- Rhodotorula taiwanensisEvidence: laboratory
The rest are on the contaminant pages.
Nearby
Sources
- Mariana dam disaster, Wikipedia, 2026
Draft compiled from public sources, not yet reviewed.