Body recovered after landslide at Solomon Islands' Gold Ridge mine

A body has been recovered after a landslide at the Gold Ridge mine near Honiara in Solomon Islands, in an incident that has raised fresh concerns about whether more people may still be buried. Police identified the dead man as Ashley Olo and said his body has been handed to his family for burial. The landslide happened in one of the pits at the country's only large-scale gold mine early on Monday morning.

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Acting Police Commissioner James Aitorea said it was too early to know how many people might still be trapped. Local reports had initially suggested that several illegal miners could have been buried, with some accounts putting the number as high as 10. The mine's owner, Gold Ridge Mining Limited, first said there were no confirmed casualties or damage to equipment, before a body was recovered from the site on Tuesday.

The company said mining operations and construction activities continued without disruption, while technical teams were due to inspect the site before work to stabilise and remediate the area. Entry to the mine remains open but under stricter supervision after the landslide. Pictures and videos shared on social media showed the affected area and a large crowd nearby, reflecting the level of public concern around the incident.

The landslide matters because Gold Ridge is a strategically important resource site and the only large-scale gold mine in Solomon Islands. Any disruption there can have implications beyond the immediate safety response, including questions about regulation, oversight and the management of mining activity. Prime Minister Matthew Wale said the government had not been notified of any fatalities when he spoke on Monday, and said officials would want to know whether poor mining practices played a role and whether regulations need to be strengthened.

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The mine has a troubled history marked by changes of ownership, environmental problems and social unrest. That background has made the site a sensitive one for local communities and authorities, especially when incidents raise questions about safety and control. The latest landslide has again put attention on how the mine is managed and on the risks associated with activity in and around the pits.

What remains unclear is whether anyone else is still buried and what caused the landslide. Police have said it is too early to determine the full scale of the incident, and technical inspections are expected to help establish the condition of the site. The next developments will likely depend on recovery efforts, the findings of inspectors and any official assessment of whether mining practices contributed to the collapse.

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