Vale S. A. (VALE)

[Saving Grace]

Nonetheless, as more information about the extent of the damage caused by the dam burst emerges, analysts are trying to tot up the potential bill for both BHP and Vale SA. The dam breach was the largest-ever spill of its kind, according to Robert Chambers, president of the nonprofit Center for Science in Public Participation, whose group has tracked these types of failures back to 1915.

The cost to the companies, including for cleanup and rebuilding, could top US$1 billion, said Paul Young, a Sydney-based analyst at Deutsche Bank, who estimated the mine could be closed until about 2019. He described the dam burst as "catastrophic."

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