Samarco spill smaller than originally thought – BHP

Mining giant BHP Billiton on Friday reported that the tailings spill at its Samarco joint venture, in Brazil, was significantly less than initial estimates. In its 60-day update since the November 5 incident, which claimed the lives of 17 people and left hundreds homeless, BHP and partner Vale noted that satellite assessment has indicated that the volume of tailings material released during the dam breach was around 32-million cubic meters.