Worker fatality forces temporary halt to Simandou operations

The death of an employee from a contracting company at the Simandou iron ore project in West Africa last Friday has prompted Australian mining giant Rio Tinto, the project's largest shareholder, to suspend all activity at its SimFer mine site, according to a news release on Saturday.

"A thorough investigation will take place together with the relevant authorities to establish the causes of this tragic incident," said Rio Tinto's Chief Executive Jakob Stausholm said in a statement. No details were given though one media report cited "workplace accident". This latest fatality on the Simandou project follows that