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Three workers killed in an accident have caused the Simandou iron-ore project to be halted.

Winning Consortium Simandou, the project's co-developer, announced on Thursday that three foreign workers had died in an accident at a construction site in Guinea. The company said it has suspended its operations and conducted a safety review.

The incident occurred at a WCS construction site in Kerouane Province, according to the Chinese-controlled firm.

WCS and Rio Tinto are developing Simandou under the close supervision of the government, with monthly progress reports filed by both companies, according to a source.

The mine hopes to reach a deadline of November for the first exports. The source said that missed production deadlines would result in financial penalties as the authorities rush to commission the project.

The military-led Government did not respond immediately to a comment request.

In March, it was reported that thirteen local workers have been killed in construction of the port in rural Guinea and the 670 km railway leading to mines since November 2023. Rio Tinto announced a second worker death in August.

Simandou, a Chinese-led venture, is largely controlled by Chinese firms, including Baosteel, while 25% of production is held by Rio Tinto – the world’s largest iron ore mining company.

WCS has said that it will support the families of victims and only resume operations when safety conditions have been fully ensured. (Reporting and editing by Clara Denina, Jan Harvey, and Maxwell Akalaare Adombila)

(source: Reuters)