March 24 (Reuters) - Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) RIO.AX , the world's No. 2 iron ore miner, said on Sunday it was suspending rail operations in the Pilbara region and mining at the Robe Valley operations in Western Australia as a severe tropical cyclone hit the state's far north.
The suspension comes after Rio, BHP BHP.AX , BHP.L and Fortescue FMG.AX on Thursday cleared their ships from ports ahead of Cyclone Veronica, which reached land south of Port Hedland, the world's largest iron ore export hub. ID:nL3N2180YO
A red alert was issued in Pilbara, with residents between Pardoo and Mardie asked to take shelter and brace for high-speed winds and rising tides, according to the Department of Fire and Emergency Services.
The Bureau of Meteorology said gale-force winds and torrential rainfall of up to 500 millimeters could be expected by Monday.