News: RIO Rio chief apologises at Australia government inquiry over caves blast

MELBOURNE, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Rio Tinto's (RIO) RIO.L chief executive apologised at an Australian Senate enquiry on Friday for the destruction of two sacred caves, saying there was no doubt the company could have made better decisions.

"This is a defining moment for Rio Tinto. We are absolutely committed to learn and change," chief executive Jean-Sébastien Jacques said in an opening statement as the hearing began.

The world's biggest iron ore miner in late May legally destroyed two historically significant sacred caves in Western Australia state, against the wishes of the Aboriginal Traditional Owners, which sat atop a high grade ore body it planned to mine.

The destruction distressed the local Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people (PKKP) and fuelled a wider public outcry that led to the inquiry into how the blast was legally sanctioned.

The destruction of the sites, which showed evidence of 46,000 years of continual habitation, occurred just as the Black Lives Matter protests trained a global spotlight on racial injustice.

The inquiry is looking at how culturally significant site came to be destroyed, the processes that failed to protect it, the impacts on Traditional Owners, and the legislative changes required to prevent such incidents from recurring.

Rio is conducting its own independent board review into the incident, due to be completed in October, and has pledged to make the findings public.