May 7 (Reuters) - Brazil's government on Tuesday filed a

request in a federal court in Minas Gerais asking that miners

Vale, BHP and their joint venture Samarco

pay 79.6 billion reais ($15.73 billion) for the collapse of a

tailings dam in 2015.

The petition from the country's solicitor general's office

also requests the court to block the companies' assets if the

amount is not paid within 15 days, according to a statement.

Vale said on Tuesday evening in a filing that it has not

been formally notified about the solicitor general's request and

will comment on the legal process once it has been received.

BHP and Samarco also said they had not been notified.

($1 = 5.0601 reais)