SAO PAULO, June 6 (Reuters) - Brazil's government

presented on Thursday a counteroffer requesting that miners Vale

and BHP and their joint venture Samarco pay

109 billion reais ($20.74 billion) as reparations for a tailings

dam collapse in 2015.

The proposal is higher than a previous offer from the miners

to pay the federal and local governments 72 billion reais to

settle reparations for the disaster in the town of Mariana,

Minas Gerais state, which killed 19 people.

($1 = 5.2554 reais)