A landslide occurred on Monday at a major gold mine in the Solomon Islands, the Oceanian country’s national disaster management office told AFP.
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The Royal Solomon Islands Police declined to comment on the death toll, after local newspaper In-depth Solomons reported the discovery of “10 bodies” at the scene.
The National Disaster Management Office confirmed to AFP that a landslide had occurred.
In the capital, Honiara, a health establishment – the National Reference Hospital – indicated that it expected to receive deceased victims.
Images and videos posted on social media show bulldozers digging into piles of collapsed rocks and earth at the mining site.
The Chinese-owned Gold Ridge mine is a major contributor to the Solomon Islands economy and began an expansion phase last year.
It is located about 25 kilometers southeast of the capital.
Gold Ridge Mining is majority owned by Chinese company Wanguo International Mining, which said in May that the mine contributed almost a quarter of the Solomon Islands’ gross domestic product last year.
Gold Ridge and Wanguo did not respond to requests from AFP.
The country’s new Prime Minister, Matthew Wale, recently announced a broad reform of the mining sector in order to return more revenue to the local economy.
