Oct 19 (Reuters) - BHP Group on Tuesday posted a nearly 5% drop in iron ore output for the first quarter due to maintenance work at its Jimblebar mine and labour shortages caused by COVID-related curbs.

Production of iron ore from Western Australia on a 100% basis was 70.6 million tonnes (mt) in the three months to September, down from 74 mt a year ago and 72.8 mt in the June quarter. (Reporting by Nikhil Kurian Nainan in Bengaluru; Editing by Aditya Soni)