Rio Tinto halts Kennecott after Utah earthquake

Rio Tinto (NYSE: RIO; LSE: RIO) evacuated all of its employees from its Kennecott copper mine near Salt Lake City, Utah, after a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit near the town of Magna.

All of its employees have been safely accounted for and removed from potential risk areas, the company said.

Rio Tinto reported limited damage to the operation or risk to the surrounding community, and has temporarily halted all operations at the site.

The company is conducting a detailed inspection of the complex with the local emergency services and Utah Department of Transportation.

“The safety of our employees and wider community is our first priority and having ensured that all our employees are safe and the operations are shut,” Arnaud Soirat, Rio Tinto’s chief executive of copper and diamonds, said in the statement. “We are now working with the local emergency services and regulators to ensure the asset is safe before resuming any operations.”

In December, Rio Tinto announced it is spending US$1.5 billion to expand Kennecott and extend the life of the more than 100-year-old open-pit mine to 2032 from 2026.