One person died and 12 others were trapped 1,000 feet underground Thursday after an elevator broke down at a former Colorado gold mine that is now a tourist attraction, authorities said.
Another 11 people were rescued from the Mollie Kathleen gold mine in Cripple Creek, Colorado, Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell told reporters.
Emergency crews were trying to repair the elevator to bring back the 11 tourists and a tour guide who were trapped since about noon, Mikesell said.
With a group of tourists underground, the elevator experienced some type of mechanical failure with another group on board when it was halfway down the mine shaft. This caused one fatality, while four other people suffered minor injuries, Mikesell said without giving details of how the person died.
That group was able to return to the surface on the elevator, which has since been out of service, the sheriff said.
Responders had radio communication with people trapped below, and they had water, blankets and chairs to keep them comfortable, Mikesell said.
But they were not told that someone had died, but rather that there was a problem with the elevator, the sheriff said.
State engineers, mining safety experts and firefighters were present.
In the event that the elevator cannot be safely repaired, firefighters were preparing for a rescue operation, but using the elevator would be much safer, Mikesell said.
“If necessary, we can put people up those ropes, but it also subjects first responders to the threat and danger of doing so,” Mikesell said.
A family-owned business has been conducting tours at the mine, located about 180 km south of Denver, for 50 years, with a single safety incident in 1986, according to Mikesell.
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