Rio Tinto stops work at Simandou iron ore project after fatality

Rio Tinto Group has stopped work at its Simandou iron ore project in Guinea after a worker died at the site, it said in a statement on Sunday, without elaborating on the cause of the accident or on any impact on the mine’s development.

The first exports of high-grade iron ore from the vast West African operation are due in November, after years of delays. Rio, the mine’s operator, did not provide guidance on whether that timeline could be affected by the pause at the SimFer mine.

“All activity at the SimFer mine site is currently suspended and support is in place for colleagues impacted by this event,” the company said.

Simon Trott, who took over as Rio’s new chief executive officer on Monday, will travel to the site. Trott said the company would launch an investigation.

Rio is developing the project together with partners, including Aluminium Corp of China.

While the project is only expected to ship limited volumes as it ramps up production, when it reaches full capacity it will add meaningful supply and could alter the balance of the global iron ore market.

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