SAO PAULO (AP) — A federal judge has ordered Brazilian mining company Vale to suspend its planned expansion of a rail line in northern Brazil because it would endanger the livelihood of an Indian tribe living in the region.
Judge Ricardo Macieira says in his ruling that the planned double tracking of the Carajas railroad line "could result in serious damage to protected areas and to the traditional lifestyles of the Awa Guaja tribe."
The ruling was posted Thursday on the court's website.
The British-based indigenous rights group Survival International has designated the Awa Guaja "the world's most endangered tribe."
The nearly 560-mile (900 kilometer) railway links Vale's Carajas iron ore mines in Para state to the Ponta da Madeira port terminal in the state of Maranhao.
