A man's body has been recovered following a landslide at a gold mine in the Solomon Islands, authorities confirmed on Tuesday. The victim was identified by police as Ashley Olo, though officials did not state whether he was a mine employee.
Landslide strikes open pit mine
The landslide occurred on Monday July 27 at the open pit mine on Guadalcanal, the largest island of the South Pacific nation. The slip measured 100 meters (328 feet) on an access road leading to the pit, according to a police statement. The cause of the landslide remains unknown, Prime Minister Matthew Wale told reporters on Monday.
Police said a search operation is ongoing as it is not known if other people were buried at the site. The victim's body was returned to his family, said Acting Police Commissioner James Aitorea.
Government and mine owner response
Prime Minister Wale stated: "Of interest to the government, of course, is to find out whether this was a result of poor mining practices and perhaps the need to strengthen regulations." At the time of his statement on Monday, no one was confirmed missing or killed.
Wanguo Gold Group Ltd, the mine's owner, said in a Monday statement that none of their employees were hurt or missing and no mining equipment was damaged. Operations at the mine had resumed, the statement added.
Informal miners and previous controversy
According to local news outlets, some families reported people as missing who were not employees of the mine but so-called informal miners operating there. Local reports said the site has attracted controversy before, when local landowners and illegal miners clashed with law enforcement.
Mine background
The site, near the capital Honiara, is the country's only large-scale gold mine. Operated by Gold Ridge Mining Limited, the mine has since 2019 been majority-owned by the Hong Kong-listed, Chinese-headquartered firm Wanguo Gold Group, with local landowners holding a small stake, Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported. It was previously owned by an Australian company, which sold the mine in 2015 because of fears it was unsafe in flooding and other natural disasters.
