1 killed, 12 rescued after being trapped in former gold mine in Colorado

DENVER (AP) — Twelve people were safely rescued Thursday evening after being trapped for hours at the bottom of a former gold mine in Colorado after an elevator at a tourist resort malfunctioned, authorities said. One person died in the accident.

The elevator was descending into the Mollie Kathleen gold mine near the town of Cripple Creek when it developed a mechanical failure about 500 feet below the surface, posing a “serious hazard to participants” and killing one person, Teller says. County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said at a news conference.

The twelve adults who were trapped were approximately 305 meters underground. They were safe and in contact with authorities while they waited, and were in good spirits after being rescued, Mikesell said.

When they left, the authorities gave them pizza and told them everything that had happened. Once downstairs, the authorities only informed them that there was a problem with the elevator.

Mikesell said during an overnight briefing that authorities do not yet know what caused the outage and an investigation is ongoing. Engineers made sure the elevator was operating safely again before re-hoisting the stranded guests.

He declined to reveal the identity of the victim.

Mikesell said the incident occurred during the last week of the facility’s season, before it closed for the winter.

The sheriff said the elevator accident was reported to authorities around noon.

Mikesell said eleven people in the elevator were initially rescued. Four had minor injuries. The sheriff did not elaborate on how they were injured or the nature of the elevator’s mechanical problems.

During the ordeal, authorities communicated with the trapped group via radio. They had access to water and the atmosphere was considered good.

Mikesell said those trapped included a member of the family’s mine who had experience in mine rescue.

According to the mine’s website, the elevator ride typically takes about two minutes and moves at a speed of about 152 meters per minute.

Mikesell said the last time it happened was in the 1980s, but he didn’t say what happened.

According to the state Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety, mines operating as tourist attractions in Colorado must designate a person to conduct daily inspections of the mines and transportation systems. Mikesell said he did not know the date of the last inspection. Records of the inspection were not immediately available online.

Gov. Jared Polis previously said the state was sending resources, including a mine rescue team.

Cripple Creek is a town of approximately 1,100 people located in the Rocky Mountains southwest of Colorado Springs.

The mine opened in the 19th century and closed in 1961, but still offers tours. Its website describes an hour-long tour during which visitors descend from a height of 300 meters. They say they see gold veins in the rock and ride an underground tram.

According to the company’s website, a woman named Mollie Kathleen Gortner discovered the mine site in 1891 when she saw quartz interspersed with gold.