Overview
- A landslide that swept across about 100 metres of an access road into an open pit at the Gold Ridge mine on Monday left at least one person dead after rescuers recovered a body identified by police as Ashley Olo.
- Police say they do not yet know if other people are buried and that search and recovery operations will continue under tighter site supervision.
- Gold Ridge Mining Limited and majority owner Wanguo said none of their employees were injured, that no company equipment was damaged, and that operations have resumed while technical teams inspect and plan stabilisation work.
- Local reports and officials say the site attracts informal or illegal miners, and the mine has a history of safety, environmental and ownership problems including a 2015 safety-driven sale and a 2019 redevelopment deal with Wanguo.
- The government inquiry could prompt stronger regulation and enforcement at the Solomon Islands' only large-scale gold mine and may affect how authorities police informal mining and manage long-term site remediation.