Six executives from mining company Samarco, including president Ricardo Vescovi, together with one contractor, are to be charged with homicide following the fatal dam breach at Samarco Mineração iron ore operation in Minas Gerais, Brazil in November 2015, newswires have reported.
Police in the state reportedly asked for the seven to be arrested after a report found that the accident was caused by excess water in the dam, lack of proper monitoring, faulty equipment and failure in the drainage system. Nineteen people were killed in the incident.
Samarco is 50% owned by BHP Billiton. Neither company has yet responded to the report.
