1 killed, 23 rescued after equipment malfunction at tourist gold mine in Colorado

DENVER (KDVR) — One person was killed and 23 were rescued after being trapped for about six hours inside a former Colorado gold mine when an elevator malfunctioned at the tourist site, authorities said. Twelve of the people were trapped about 1,000 feet underground.

The elevator was descending into the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine near the town of Cripple Creek when it had a mechanical problem around 500 feet beneath the surface, creating a “severe danger for the participants,” Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said.

The cause of the visitor's death was not immediately provided.

The sheriff said one of those trapped was an employee with mine safety experience.

Officials said the failure occurred at about halfway down the shaft. Officials were able to successfully retrieve the body of the person who died and were in contact with the family. The individual who died was not identified Thursday.

Earlier in the afternoon, while the 12 were stuck at the bottom, 11 other people who were riding the elevator were rescued. Four had minor injuries, but the sheriff did not elaborate on how they were injured.

The elevator ride typically takes about two minutes, traveling about 500 feet per minute, according to the mine’s website.

The sheriff said that the people who were trapped had not been informed of the extent of the issue and were only told that checks were being made on the elevator. Eventually, officials informed them they were involved in a news story drawing national attention.

Mikesell said during a nighttime briefing that authorities do not know yet what caused the malfunction and an investigation is underway. Engineers worked to make sure the elevator was working safely again before bringing the stranded visitors back up on it. They had been prepared to bring them up by rope if necessary had they not been able to get the elevator fixed.

Two of the people who were rescued initially were children, and they are being offered mental health counseling by local professionals.

Mines that operate 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.

The incident happened during the final week of the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine season before it shuts down for the winter.

The mine opened in the 1800s and was closed in the 1960s but still operates tours. The mine's website describes a one-hour tour in which visitors descend 100 stories into the earth. It says visitors 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.

According to the sheriff, there have been no recent safety incidents at the mine and it is one of the safer mine tourism experiences in the world. The last accident at the mine took place in 1986, Mikesell said. Nobody died in that incident.

The Occupational Safety and Health Agency will be investigating the mine for safety. Officials said the tourist destination is reaching the end of its season, as it closes for the winter. The elevator has been taken offline as officials work to determine what went wrong.

Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement that he was relieved to hear of the successful rescue.

“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 wrote. "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.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.