A contract worker has died following an incident in Rio Tinto’s SimFer mine site in Guinea, the British-Australian multinational mining company says.
All activity at the SimFer mine site is suspended, the iron ore miner said in its statement on Saturday.
Incoming chief executive Simon Trott said he will be travelling to Guinea to spend time with the team there.
“It is devastating to lose a colleague in this way,” he said.
“We will continue to do everything we can to ensure the safest possible work environment where everyone goes home safely to their family after every shift.”
Outgoing boss Jakob Stausholm flagged that a thorough investigation will take place.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues impacted by this tragic event as well as the wider community,” he said.
The incident follows another worker’s death in Guinea at a port site in October last year.
SimFer is part of Rio Tinto’s Simandou project, which is Africa’s largest mining and infrastructure project.
It is developing the project at the Simandou mountain range, which lies in the country’s south-east and has a surface area of more than 100km.
The subsoil contains high-grade iron ore estimated at around 1.5 billion tonnes, according to the company’s website.
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