SAO PAULO, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Brazilian miner Samarco, a

joint venture between Vale and BHP, has

received approval from a court in Minas Gerais state to exit

bankruptcy protection proceedings, it said in a statement on

Tuesday.

The process allowed Samarco to reorganize more than 50

billion reais ($9.28 billion) in liabilities involving around

10,000 creditors, the statement said. The proceedings were

triggered by a 2015 dam collapse near the Brazilian city of

Mariana which halted operations for several years.

($1 = 5.3896 reais)