Brazilian tower
© Sputnik/ Alexey Filippov
Brazilian authorities will sue two mining giants, demanding 20 billion reais (about $5.2 billion) from the companies and a mine operator they own following the collapse of a waste water dam in the country's southeast.

The lawsuit will be filed on Monday, Attorney General Luis Inacio Adams announced at a Friday press conference in Brasilia.

The dam at the Samarco iron-ore mine collapsed on November 5, leading to the death of over a dozen people and reportedly causing major contamination of nearby land and the Doce River. At least 10 people remain missing.

The Brazilian government wants mining giants BHP Billiton and Vale, as well as mine operator Samarco, which they co-own, to create a fund to cover clean-up costs and provide compensation for the victims.

Ecologists estimate that full environmental recovery following the incident will take about 100 years.