JOHANNESBURG, May 24 (Reuters) - Rio Tinto's QIT Madagascar Minerals (QMM) mineral sands mine restarted production on Monday following a five-day halt, after reaching an agreement with demonstrators who had set up roadblocks at the site, Rio told Reuters on Tuesday.

Communities surrounding QMM's mine in southeastern Madagascar have been protesting over a release of water from the mine site into the surrounding environment, after which dead fish were found.

Rio says water sampling data shows no link between the water release and the dead fish. (Reporting by Helen Reid; Editing by Jan Harvey)