Tragedy at Simandou: Contract worker dies at Rio Tinto’s SimFer mine in Guinea
Operations suspended as CEO pledges focus on safety at world-class Iron-ore project
A contract worker has died following an incident at Rio Tinto’s SimFer mine at the Simandou iron-ore project in Guinea, the world’s largest producer of iron-ore said late on Sunday, without providing further details.
The mining giant confirmed that work had been suspended at the SimFer mine site after the accident on Saturday. Chief Executive Simon Trott is expected to travel to Guinea this week in response to the incident.
“Nothing is more important than the safety of everyone who works with us,” Trott said. “We are determined to learn from this incident and to do everything we can to provide the safest possible workplace and prevent tragedies like this from happening.”
Safety Record Under Scrutiny
The fatal incident comes amid heightened scrutiny of safety conditions at the massive Simandou development. A Reuters review of internal documents, conducted last year, found six local workers had been killed between June 2023 and November 2024 during construction of a port and a 670-kilometre railway linking the remote inland mines to export facilities. Since November 2024, at least two additional fatalities have been reported at the project.
When approached last year regarding the Reuters findings, a Rio Tinto spokesperson did not comment directly on the reported toll. However, the company stated it was “working each and every day with our partners … to share knowledge and expertise so safety is continuously improved across Simandou – which is a uniquely complex project.”
Ownership Structure of Simandou
Rio Tinto holds a 53% stake in the SimFer consortium, which controls Blocks 3 and 4 of the vast Simandou concession. Chinese state-backed groups own the remaining share of the consortium.
Meanwhile, a separate consortium led by the Baowu Winning Consortium Simandou owns 85% of the operating company responsible for Blocks 1 and 2 of the concession.
Simandou is widely regarded as one of the most significant undeveloped iron-ore resources globally, with the potential to reshape global supply dynamics once fully operational. However, the scale, complexity and remote location of the project have also presented substantial logistical and safety challenges.
As operations remain suspended at the SimFer site, attention will likely focus on the findings of internal investigations and the implementation of enhanced safety measures at one of the world’s most ambitious mining ventures.
