Brazil environmental disaster victims take case against mining giant BHP to UK court

LONDON (AP) — Victims of Brazil’s worst environmental disaster are taking their case for compensation to a UK court on Monday. It’s almost nine years after tons of toxic mining waste poured into a major waterway, killing 19 people and devastating local communities. The law firm representing the plaintiffs says the class action lawsuit seeks an estimated 36 billion pounds ($47 billion) in damages from the global mining giant BHP. That would make it the largest environmental payout ever. The rupture released enough mine waste to fill 13,000 Olympic-size swimming pools into a river that has yet to recover.