The remains of houses destroyed by bushfires are seen in the town of Kinglake, 55km (34 miles) northeast of Melbourne in this file photo taken on February 8, 2009. REUTERS/Mick Tsikas
SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian court has approved a record payout of almost A$500 million (260.65 million pounds) to survivors and families of some of the 173 people killed in the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, the country's worst-ever natural disaster.
A class action lawsuit by more than 5,000 people sued electricity provider AusNet Services and asset manager Utility Services Corporation Ltd after a Royal Commission found that the Kinglake fire, the most deadly of the series of wildfires, was caused by an ageing AusNet power line.
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