A massive landslide has struck the Gold Ridge gold mine in the Solomon Islands, according to national disaster officials.
The site, located roughly 25 kilometres southeast of the capital city of Honiara, is one of the nation's key economic assets.
The National Disaster Management Office confirmed on Monday that a major rock and soil collapse had taken place across the mining area.
Local police forces have so far declined to confirm an official death toll, though regional news outlet In-depth, Solomons reported that ten bodies have been recovered by emergency crews.
Medical staff at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara confirmed they were preparing to receive victims from the site.
Hospital worker Lyrex Alick stated that several individuals had died following the incident.
Video footage and photos shared on social media platforms showed heavy machinery and bulldozers clearing large piles of earth and debris in search of buried workers.
The Chinese firm Wanguo International Mining, which owns the majority of the Gold Ridge mine, launched a major expansion project at the complex last year.
Company financial statements released in May indicated that the facility generated nearly a quarter of the country's gross domestic product last year.
Neither Gold Ridge Mining nor its parent company Wanguo International Mining issued immediate comments regarding the collapse.
The disaster comes shortly after Prime Minister Matthew Wale outlined plans to introduce comprehensive reforms across the national mining sector, aiming to secure a larger share of resource revenues for local communities.
