Brazilian Victims Sue Braskem's Dutch Subsidiaries Over Salt Mine Collapse
Victims of a Braskem salt mine that partially collapsed and forced them to relocate filed a lawsuit June 24 in a Dutch court to hold the petrochemical company’s European subsidiaries liable, according to a news release from Pogust Goodhead, one of the law firms representing the plaintiffs.
The appeal comes a year after a Rotterdam, Netherlands, court found Braskem SA guilty of sinking neighborhoods in the coastal town of Maceió.
The court ruled in favor of the victims and ordered the company to pay compensation to the victims, Pogust Goodhead stated in a news release. Braskem is appealing the court’s decision, according to the law firm.
In the most recent filing, the victims are seeking to hold Braskem’s Dutch subsidiaries accountable, which profited from and contributed to the Brazilian company’s operations in Maceió, the law firm said.
The parties have until October 2025 to file their counterarguments to their opponents’ appeal. The Dutch court is expected to rule on the appeals as early as 2026.
Braksem mined salt for its chlor-alkali dichloroethane production units in the area. The mine has been inactive since 2019 after a Geological Survey of Brazil report indicated a potential relationship between an earthquake event and the extraction activities carried out by Braskem.
About 60,000 residents from the affected regions have relocated due to safety concerns.
