Multinational mining corporation Rio Tinto has apologized for destroying a 46,000-year-old sacred site belonging to local indigenous people in Australia in order to expand an iron mine.
The Juukan Gorge caves, located in the Pilbara region of the state of Western Australia, were blown up with dynamite on May 24 by Rio Tinto, one of the world’s largest mining companies, as it expanded an iron mining project that was agreed upon with local authorities.
Among almost 7,000 relics discovered at the heritage site were artifacts such as grinding stones, a bone sharpened into a tool and 4,000-year-old belt made of braided human hair, reported the Australian Associated Press. An analysis of the belt showed a direct link between the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura Aborigines and the prehistoric cave-dwellers going back 4,000 years.
“Today we also recognize that a review is needed in relation to the management of heritage in Western Australia more broadly,” added Salisbury.
John Ashburton, a PKKP representative, told Reuters that losing the site was a “devastating blow.”
Rio Tinto is an Anglo-Australian multinational firm and the world’s second-largest metals and mining corporation, behind BHP Billiton. The publicly traded corporation has vast operations in Australia, with the firm’s iron mines comprising most of its revenue. In addition to iron ore, the giant has additional mining interests in Australia, such as bauxite for aluminium, as well as diamonds and uranium. It received permission to expand its iron ore mining operations in 2013.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
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