One person was dead and 12 others were trapped at the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine attraction in Cripple Creek, Colorado on Thursday.
An elevator malfunction in the Gold Mine, located near Cripple Creek, about 500 feet (152 metres) underground, posed “severe danger for the participants.”
The accident happened when one tour group was already underground and another group was on the elevator.The malfunction occurred when the elevator was halfway down the mine shaft.
At the same time, twelve individuals remained safely at the bottom, approximately 1,000 feet (305 metres) down, in contact with authorities. Eleven passengers were rescued, four sustaining minor injuries.
The sheriff provided no details on the victim or the specifics of the mechanical failure.
Emergency responders maintained radio contact with the people trapped below, who had access to water, blankets, and chairs to keep them comfortable. However, they were not informed of the fatality, only that the elevator was malfunctioning, the sheriff said.
State engineers, mine safety experts, and firefighters were on site, and while using the elevator to retrieve those trapped inside remained the safest option, firefighters were also preparing for a potential rope rescue operation.
“If we have to, we can bring people up on those ropes, but it also subjects those first responders now to the threat and endangerment of doing so,” Mikesell said.
The family-operated mine, located 110 miles (180 km) south of Denver, has been operational for 50 years and had only one other safety incident in 1986.
