BHP faces $47 billion UK lawsuit over Brazilian dam collapse

FILE PHOTO: General view from above of a dam owned by Vale SA and BHP Billiton Ltd that burst in Mariana, Brazil, November 10, 2015. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes/File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) - A hearing in a lawsuit against BHP over Brazil's worst environmental disaster, the 2015 collapse of the Mariana dam, will begin at London's High Court on Monday, with claimants seeking up to 36 billion pounds ($47 billion) in damages.

More than 600,000 Brazilians, 46 local governments, and around 2,000 businesses are suing BHP over the collapse of the dam in southeastern Brazil, which was owned and operated by BHP and Vale's Samarco joint venture.