By Marta NogueiraRIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Miners Vale, BHP and their joint venture, Samarco, should strike a deal to compensate for a deadly dam disaster in 2015 or risk paying a lot more in court, the Minas Gerais state prosecutor general told Reuters. Last week a federal judge ruled that the firms must pay up to 47.6 billion reais ($9.67 billion) in damages, in a decision still subject to appeal. "The total will be very high," he said, adding that the firms should strike a deal when talks resume in February, to avoid more costly litigation. Soares Junior is one of the many officials that would have to sign off on a deal that could settle lawsuits on state and federal levels involving the disaster. ($1 = 4.9437 reais)(Reporting by Marta Nogueira, writing by Fabio Teixeira; editing by Sandra Maler)

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Persons: Marta Nogueira, General Jarbas Soares Junior, Soares Junior, Samarco, Vale, Fabio Teixeira, Sandra Maler Organizations: Marta Nogueira RIO DE, Reuters, Vale, BHP Locations: Marta Nogueira RIO DE JANEIRO, Minas Gerais, Mariana