RIO DE JANEIRO — A state judge in Brazil ruled on Tuesday that the mining giant Vale was financially liable for damages caused when a dam breached a mining site in January, killing at least 247 people.

Judge Elton Pupo Nogeira did not specify how much the company would have to pay, saying it was not yet possible to determine the extent of harm caused when a gigantic wave of toxic waste escaped the breach, burying scores of people, including the mine’s employees, in the town of Brumadinho, in Minas Gerais State, on Jan. 25.

The damages are “not limited to the deaths that resulted from the event, since it also affects the environment locally and regionally, as well as the economic activity of surrounding communities,” the judge wrote.

The ruling was the first decision by a court to formally hold the company responsible for the disaster. Vale faces multiple criminal and civil investigations related to the dam breach that are expected to last years.