SYDNEY (AFP) — Police in the Solomon Islands recovered the first body Tuesday from a landslide at the Gold Ridge mine as search efforts continued, saying it was still too early to determine how many people remained buried.

The landslide struck about 2 a.m. Monday at the mine, about 25 kilometers (16 miles) southeast of the capital, Honiara, covering about 100 meters (328 feet) of an access road leading to Pit 1, police said.

The body of a man from Central Guadalcanal was recovered Tuesday morning and returned to his family for burial.

“Confirming how many are still buried underground is still too early at the moment,” police said.

Acting Police Commissioner James Aitorea said police and mine security officers were working on a recovery plan.

Earlier Tuesday, a Tetere police officer told AFP that 10 families had reported male relatives missing at the site. Authorities believe some of those missing were illegal miners who entered the area in search of gold.

Walton Naezon, a local chief and a director of Gold Ridge Mining, said there were “too many illegal miners in the mining lease area” who had come from Honiara and nearby communities. He said only one body had been recovered.

Police urged residents to stay away from the site as recovery operations and an investigation continue.

Gold Ridge said the landslide occurred in a “restricted, non-operational area of the mine” and that mining operations were continuing.

The mine, owned by Hong Kong-listed Wanguo International Mining, is a major contributor to the Solomon Islands’ economy and began an expansion project last year.