1 killed, 12 trapped after mine equipment malfunction near Cripple Creek
KDVR Fox 31
DENVER (KDVR) — A rescue effort was underway for visitors stuck underground at a former Colorado gold mine that's now operated as a tourist site, Gov. Jared Polis' office said Thursday.
According to the Teller County Sheriff's Office, 12 people remained trapped in the mine tunnel about 1,000 feet below the surface as of 4:15 p.m.
Eleven people were rescued and one was killed when there was an equipment malfunction with the elevator about 500 feet down the shaft.
The incident occurred at the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine near the town of Cripple Creek. The sheriff said one of the 12 people trapped is an employee with mine safety experience and the other 11 are tourists.
The sheriff said that the people who are trapped were not informed of the extent of the issue and were only told that checks were being made on the elevator.
Two of the people who were rescued are children, and they are being offered mental health counseling by local professionals.
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.
Polis said in a statement that the state was sending resources for the rescue effort.
“We will do everything possible and assist the county to ensure a speedy and safe resolution of the situation,” said Polis.
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 Associated Press contributed to this report.