Brazil court fines firms US$50mil for deadly cave-in

During excavation for the Pinheiros metro station in Sao Paulo on Jan 12, 2007, a massive sinkhole opened, swallowing part of a nearby road. - AFP

Rio de Janeiro: A Brazilian court has fined executives and companies including French transportation giant Alstom nearly US$50mil for a 2007 collapse at a subway construction site that killed seven people, in a ruling seen by AFP.

A judge for the Sao Paulo state court of justice last Friday ordered six then-directors of the municipal metro company and seven firms involved in the project to pay a collective fine of 240 million reais or about US$48mil.