PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Diversified miner Rio Tinto has again pleaded for forgiveness for the destruction of the Juukan Gorge rock shelters in the Pilbara last year.

Speaking at the company’s annual general meeting this week, CEO Jakob Stausholm said that the destruction of the cultural heritage site had been "a terrible chapter in our history".

“Perhaps this cannot be said enough, so let me say it again. The rock shelters at Juukan Gorge should not have been touched. We are so sorry. The destruction severely damaged many of our relationships, including with the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people, for whom it was devastating and a significant breach of trust.

“The work we have to do at Juukan Gorge is beyond the remediation of the site. I know that we must work in partnership with Traditional Owners in Australia, Native Americans in the US and Indigenous people in Canada and elsewhere, to secure our shared future,” Stausholm said.

“We must focus on real engagement with our communities, understanding their felt experience and never forgetting that, in so many places, we are guests on their land. We must respect our hosts and our partners, and work with them to understand their priorities and concerns and minimise our impacts.”

Rio chairperson Simon Thompson also expressed his disappointment at the "tragic events” at Juukan Gorge, having earlier announced that he would not stand for re-election as a nonexecutive director, following the incident.

“As chairperson of your company, I am ultimately accountable for the failings that led to the tragic events at Juukan Gorge. Accordingly, I will not be seeking re-election at the AGMs next year,” he said this week.

Thompson’s departure would follow that of CEO Jean-Sebastian Jacques, iron-ore CEO Chris Salisbury, and group executive of corporate relations Simone Niven, who all handed in their resignations following the incident.

Rio’s shareholders this week failed to back the company’s remuneration plans, with more than 60% of the votes cast coming in against the report.