At least one person has died after an equipment failure trapped multiple people deep underground during a mine tour in Colorado, local authorities said.
A total of 11 people have been rescued so far from the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine after the mine’s elevator had a “mechanical issue,” the Teller County Sheriff’s Office said. Another 12 people—11 tourists and one mine worker—are still trapped 1,00o feet beneath the surface.
“At about 500 feet deep, we had a mechanical issue that created a severe danger for the participants,” Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said at a press conference on Thursday.
A cave tunnel inside the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine.
Shutterstock
Mikesell said that first responders from his office and the Cripple Creek Fire Department were able to extract the mine cart from the shaft, rescuing 11 people on the device.
However, he added that there was a single fatality “that occurred at this issue at 500 feet.” Authorities have provided few details about the victim so far, and an active investigation into the death is ongoing.
Additionally, 12 more people are still stuck in a mine shaft with no immediate way to get back up, Mikesell said. “They honestly don’t know that they’ve had an issue, other than there’s a problem with the elevator,” the sheriff said.
“They’re in a shaft near the bottom. There’s a tour that goes on at the 1,000-foot level where they show them how mining was done,” Mikesell said. “They’re actually safe, on the ground, inside the tunnel, and the atmospherics are good inside the tunnel.”
The sheriff said the trapped tour group had water, chairs, and blankets at the bottom of the mine. He also confirmed that they were in communication with the trapped group. “Everyone is fine at this point.”
Mikesell also said that two children were “involved” in the incident, but did not give any further details on their conditions. “There were two children involved, we are giving them mental healthcare if they need so, we’re giving them rooms, we’re doing everything we possibly can to make it better,” he told reporters.
The sheriff said he was in contact with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis about the rescue efforts.
Tourists visiting the Molly Kathleen Gold Mine can descend 1000 ft below the surface to learn about the towns rich mining history.
Gary Reinwald/Shutterstock
“The state is assisting Teller County and sending resources to rescue those inside the mine,” Polis said in a statement on Thursday. “We will do everything possible and assist the county to ensure a speedy and safe resolution of the situation.”
Mikesell said that first responders were investigating the mine’s elevator system, and hoped to use it to extract the trapped tourists and mine worker. The sheriff said that they had other plans on standby if they could not get the elevator system to work, including ropes teams from the Colorado Springs Fire Department.
The Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine closed in 1961, and was later reopened as a tourist attraction. The tours last about an hour and show visitors real gold veins, according to the mine’s website.
The sheriff said the mine was family-owned and operated as a tourist attraction for decades. Mikesell praised the mine for its safety record, and said the last incident to happen occurred around 1986, but provided no further details.
