• Three foreign workers killed at Simandou mine, WCS says

• WCS suspends operations; safety concerns follow multiple deaths

• Guinea insists 2025 production deadline will be met
  

The Winning Consortium Simandou (WCS), operator of two of the four blocks at Guinea’s Simandou iron ore deposit, said on Thursday, October 2, that three foreign workers had died at the site. The accident occurred a day earlier, just weeks after a Rio Tinto employee was killed in August. Both companies are racing to begin production and ship their first exports by November 2025.

Simandou, billed as Africa’s largest mining and infrastructure project with an estimated $20 billion investment, includes not only the iron ore deposit but also a 600-km railway and a deep seaport. A Reuters tally in March 2025 reported at least 13 worker deaths since June 2023, linked to lapses in safety procedures and inadequate medical care.

Following the latest fatalities, WCS—dominated by Chinese investors—announced a temporary suspension of operations. Such pauses are common after fatal accidents but have so far not delayed the project’s timeline. Companies typically announce investigations into accidents, though findings are never made public.

Guinean authorities have reiterated their commitment to starting production by the end of 2025. At a September ceremony to receive the first locomotives for Compagnie du TransGuinéen (CTG), which will haul the ore, officials stressed the deadline. Firms face financial penalties if they miss the schedule.

Emiliano Tossou