Samarco Execs Reportedly Charged in Seven Deaths

Brazilian police in the state of Minas Gerais charged six Samarco executives and one contractor for crimes relating to the deaths of 19 people caused by a burst tailings dam at a mine in November, the G1 news website reported on Tuesday. The Samarco chief executive at the time of the incident, Ricardo Vescovi, was among those charged, according to the report. Samarco is a joint venture of Vale SA and BHP Billiton (BHPLF).

Samarco had no immediate response to a request for comment.

(Reuters, Reporting by Stephen Eisenhammer Editing bhy W Simon)