Brazil to sue BHP, Vale for $5 bln in damages for dam burst
BRASILIA, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Brazil's federal and state governments plan to sue the owners of the Samarco iron ore miner for 20 billion reais ($5.24 billion)in damages caused by the burst of a tailings pond dam, Environment Minister Izabella Teixeira told reporters on Friday.
Samarco is a joint venture between the world's largest mining company, BHP Billiton Ltd , and the biggest iron ore miner, Vale SA . ($1 = 3.8181 Brazilian reais) (Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu; Editing by Chris Reese)