Brazil Judge Imposes $48m Fine Over Deadly Sinkhole

(CTN News) – A judge in Brazil penalised officials and construction companies R$240 million ($48.3 million; £38.3 million) for the collapse of a building site in São Paulo.

In 2007, seven people were murdered when a massive sinkhole opened up unexpectedly, swallowing pedestrians and vehicles.

Brazil’s Legal Action

Workers were building a tunnel to expand the metro system in the Pinheiros neighbourhood when the ground gave way.

The judge stated that the collapse was the result of “negligent” and “dangerous” actions.

According to Judge Marcos de Lima Porta, those in charge of the construction project rejected warnings from specialists that “urgent” support structures were needed in the tunnel and pushed ahead with the work to gain time, as reported by Brazilian newspaper O Globo.

Six individuals and firms, including the previous president of São Paulo’s Metrô, an engineer, and a construction inspector, have been ordered to pay reparations. One of the workers died in 2018, but the judge ordered that his heirs pay the fee.

The 2,200-square-meter (23,680-square-foot) hole buried a minibus, demolished seven residences, and displaced approximately 200 people.

Aerial photos from a popular São Paulo region revealed a massive crater with lorries colliding.

Prosecutors stated that the incident caused “extraordinarily intense” distress to the residents of São Paulo, Brazil’s largest city.

Those convicted are expected to appeal.