Rio Tinto says cyclones will hit Q1 iron ore output

Global miner Rio Tinto said on Tuesday its first-quarter iron ore production would be hit by a string of cyclones that swept through its mining operations in Australia last month.

"We have only just regained momentum and our quarterly production report will highlight the impact," Rio Tinto's iron ore division chief, Sam Walsh, told an industry conference

Rio Tinto mines 225 million tonnes of iron ore annually, mostly in the Pilbara region of Australia, making it the world's no. 2 producer behind Brazil's Vale .

Australia's other big iron ore miners are BHP Billiton , and Fortescue Metals Group . (Reuters)