Brazilian federal and state authorities and prosecutors have requested the re-opening of a multi-billion dollar civil action suit against miners Samarco <SAMNE.UL>, Vale <VALE3.SA> and BHP <BHP.AX> <BLT.L> for damages caused by the Fundao dam burst in 2015, Minas Gerais state police said on Thursday.
The incident at Samarco's facilities, a joint venture between Vale and BHP, which left 19 dead and polluted the River Doce, was the biggest environmental disaster ever in Brazil. The claim is for damages of 155 billion reais ($27.4 billion).
(Reporting by Luciano Costa; Writing by Jamie McGeever, Editing by Franklin Paul)
