08:34 AM EDT, 07/12/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Vale (VALE) said Friday it has reached an agreement with BHP Group ( BHP ) , BHP Group UK, and BHP Billiton Brasil regarding the group action proceedings in the UK and the Netherlands stemming from the 2015 Fundao Dam collapse in Brazil.

Under the agreement, entered into "without any admission of liability," BHP will withdraw the contribution claim it brought against Vale in the UK Claims, Vale said.

"The effect of the agreement is that should BHP ultimately be found to have any liability to the claimants in the UK Claims, or should Vale ultimately be found to have any liability to the claimants in the Netherlands, such liability would be shared equally between BHP and Vale," the Brazilian mining company said.

Vale said it was named a defendant in a 2022 contribution claim brought by BHP in the UK court related to a group action claim filed against BHP by more than 600,000 claimants seeking damages for alleged losses from the dam rupture. In March, Vale became a defendant in proceedings brought in Netherlands on behalf of over 78,000 claimants.

BHP Group ( BHP ) did not immediately respond to MT Newswires' request for comment.

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