A Brazilian federal court ruled miners Vale, BHP Group and their joint venture Samarco are not criminally liable for the deadly 2015 Fundao tailings dam collapse, according to a statement from the court on Thursday.

A Brazilian court on Thursday cleared mining giants BHP and Vale, and their Brazilian joint venture Samarco, of responsibility over a 2015 dam collapse that caused the country's worst ever environmental disaster.

BHP (BHP) and their Samarco joint venture in Brazil of responsibility over a 2015 dam collapse that caused the country's worst ever environmental disaster, according to published reports. The court reportedly said it found no conclusive evidence that "individual behavior contributed directly

A federal court in Brazil has exonerated mining giants Vale, BHP Group, and their joint venture Samarco from criminal liability in the 2015 Fundao tailings dam collapse incident, which claimed 19 lives and caused extensive environmental damage,