Coal & Allied

Rio Tinto PLC
13 June 2007

Rio Tinto's 75.7 per cent owned subsidiary, Coal & Allied Industries Limited,
issued the following news release in Australia.


Weather impacts Coal & Allied operations


Coal & Allied today announced that it has declared force majeure on a number of
its sales contracts effective from 8 June 2007, as a result of the severe
weather conditions encountered at the Port of Newcastle and the Hunter Region in
New South Wales.



These weather conditions have had an impact on the Hunter Valley Coal Chain and
will prevent Coal & Allied from performing its obligations to deliver coal to
the Port of Newcastle. Coal & Allied is also presently assessing the impact of
these weather conditions on production at each of its mines.



At this stage, Coal & Allied is unable to provide an estimate of the duration of
the force majeure event and its effect.



For further information, please contact:

LONDON                                               AUSTRALIA
Media Relations                                      Media Relations
Christina Mills                                      Ian Head
Office: [phone]                         Office:  [phone]
Mobile: [phone]                         Mobile: [phone]

Nick Cobban
Office:  [phone]
Mobile: [phone]


Investor Relations                                   Investor Relations
Nigel Jones                                          Dave Skinner
Office: [phone]                         Office:  [phone]
Mobile: [phone]                         Mobile: [phone]

David Ovington                                       Susie Creswell
Office:  [phone]                        Office:  [phone]
Mobile: [phone]                         Mobile: [phone]



Website: www.riotinto.com

High resolution photographs available at: www.newscast.co.uk


                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange