One dead, 23 rescued from Colorado gold mine tour after equipment malfunction
Twelve people trapped deep beneath the surface of a former Colorado gold mine turned popular tourist destination were rescued Thursday night after an elevator malfunctioned, authorities said.
The rescue came after 11 others were rescued hours earlier and one person died at the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine in Cripple Creek.
While the gold mine has been closed to mining for decades, it gives tours about 1,000 feet underground, the Teller County Sheriff's Office said.
Around noon, a mechanical issue occurred with the elevator that takes tourists into the mine, creating a danger for riders, authorities said.
Eleven people, including two children, were initially rescued using a trolley car. Four of them had minor injuries, while an unidentified person died roughly 500 feet down inside the mine.
The 12 others were rescued hours later, after state engineers determined it was safe to begin bringing the trapped tourists back up to the surface.
"They are safe at the 1,000-foot level," Sheriff Jason Mikesell said of the 12 who were trapped. "They honestly don't know that we've had an issue other than there's a problem with the elevator."
Mines operated as tourist attractions in Colorado must designate someone to inspect the mines and the transportation systems daily, according to the state Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety.
Mikesell said he didn’t know the date of the last inspection. Records of the inspections weren’t immediately available online.
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Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said he was aware of the situation.
"I am relieved that 12 of the people trapped in the Mollie Kathleen Mine have been safely rescued. Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the individual lost in this incident," Polis said in a statement. "I thank Teller County and Sheriff Mikesell and his team, as well as the other law enforcement and first responders from local and state government for their swift response and tireless efforts, including members of the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Labor and Employment, and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management."
"Thanks to this collaborative effort, each of these individuals will return home safely," he added.
The mine opened in the 1800s and closed in 1961, but still operates tours. Its website describes a one-hour tour in which visitors descend 1,000 feet into the earth. It says they can see veins of gold in the rock and ride an underground tram.
A woman named Mollie Kathleen Gortner discovered the site of the mine in 1891, when she saw quartz laced with gold, according to the company’s website.
The tours run from May through the second weekend in October.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.