BHP Billiton and Vale have been fined afurther 1bn reais ($260 million) for a mining disaster, over and above the 250 million reais they were ordered to pay after a dam burst at a mine run by Samarco.
The collapse of two dams has cut off drinking water for a quarter of a million people and saturated waterways downstream with dense orange sediment that could wreck the ecosystem for years to come.
Nine people were killed, 19 are still listed as missing and 500 people were displaced from their homes when the dams burst at an iron ore mine in southeastern Brazil on November 5.
The money is being used to pay for immediate concerns but further payouts are expected.