Contrite BHP Billiton bosses are determined to get to the bottom of the Brazilian mine disaster which has claimed 11 lives and disrupted thousands more.
As families of the victims of Samarco dam collapse continue to bury their dead and look for answers, the heads of the world's biggest mining company laid bare their emotions at the company's annual general meeting in Perth on Thursday.
Chief executive Andrew Mackenzie and chairman Jac Nasser asked shareholders to trust the company to find the cause of the disaster earlier this month and come up with solutions to rebuild homes and rehabilitate the devastated area over the long term.
Mr Nasser says an external investigation is underway at the Samarco mine and he is not jumping to any conclusions before the findings are made public.
"It's very difficult, until you truly understand what the situation is," Mr Nasser told reporters after the company's annual general meeting in Perth on Thursday.
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"In the end we'll approach this in good old fashioned Aussie values of compassion and fairness and openness."
He said the company was eager to simply get the environment back to where it should be.
"You can cloud it up with a whole bunch of words and legal interpretations.
"We will find out what went wrong and we will fix the environment so that the communities can get back to have a proper livelihood in the areas that they were in."
Mr Nasser said at this stage the company believes 11 people are dead and eight remain missing as the company's board and management team supports Samarco with the response effort.
An emotional chief executive Andrew Mackenzie, whose voice quaked as he spoke about the disaster, said it was an extraordinarily difficult time for BHP but the company remained strong.
Mr Mackenzie recently returned to Australia after touring the area coated with mud and mine waste.
He said everyone at BHP was devastated by the tragedy in Brazil and the company would support the region in the long term.
"We will fully play our part in helping Samarco reconstruct homes, community and spirit," he said.
"All of us recommit to making your company safer and our communities stronger."
Analysts estimate the overall clean-up bill in Brazil will be more than $1 billion.
Samarco is jointly owned by BHP Billiton, the world's largest mining company, and Brazil's Vale, the largest iron ore miner.
Through productivity gains, BHP had maintained the ability to pay the progressive dividend, he said.
