TELLER COUNTY, Colo. One person died, 11 were rescued and 12 remain trapped 1,000 feet underground after an elevator malfunctioned at the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine near Cripple Creek on Thursday afternoon.
The mine, which is no longer active but is open for tours, is about a mile northeast of Cripple Creek and on the southwest face of Pikes Peak.
During a press conference on Thursday afternoon, Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell confirmed that around noon, a mechanical issue on the elevator "created severe damage for riders that were on board" about 500 feet down.
The single fatality happened at that 500-foot mark, but no other details were available on what happened to cause their death. Eleven people who were on the elevator at the time were brought back up and are OK, Mikesell said. Four of them were injured in the incident and were treated by medical providers.
Twelve people had already taken the elevator all the way down to 1,000 feet underground. As of 4:30 p.m., they were still there, along with a worker, and they were all safe. They have chairs, water and blankets, Mikesell said, and authorities can communicate with them via radios. The worker with the group formerly worked in mine rescues.
Mikesell said he hopes to get those 12 people out of the mine by Thursday evening.
Watch the full press conference in the video below.
Officials provide updates on equipment malfunction at Teller County mine tour
State and local authorities are working to identify what happened to the elevator and how they can safely bring those 12 people up on that same system. Mikesell explained that backup plans are in place in case that is not an option rope teams with the Colorado Springs Fire Department are at the scene and can bring people up that way, though it would be challenging.
The sheriff's office addressed online rumors and confirmed that the mine did not collapse.
The last time the mine had an incident was 1986, Mikesell said.
Per Colorado's Tourist Mine Inspection Guidelines, tourist mines must be inspected daily. This includes an inspection of the mine and mine conveyance equipment, it reads. Mikesell was not sure of the last time the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine was inspected.
The state of Colorado has sent an elevator expert to the scene. Engineers from the state and local jurisdictions, as well as mine safety experts, are also on this case.
According to the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine Tour website, the Carlton Mill closed in the 1960s, so the mine had to stop gold production since it had no way to process the ore. However, mine tours were doing well at the time and so a decision was made to continue to welcome the public through guided tours.
Revenue from the tours are used to maintain the mine and ensure it is in safe operable mining condition, the website reads. One-hour walking tours are offered seasonally and take visitors on an elevator about 1,000 feet down, where a guide leads a group for about a quarter mile. The tours are open from May through the second weekend in October.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said he had contacted local authorities and will stay in touch as they work to rescue the people. He directed state resources to assist them with the efforts. State personnel are on-site, with more on the way including a mine rescue team from the Department of Natural Resources to assess the situation.
"The state is assisting Teller County and sending resources to rescue those inside the mine," Polis said. "We will do everything possible and assist the county to ensure a speedy and safe resolution of the situation.
The mine is named after Mollie Kathleen Gortner, who spotted a rocky outcropping with gold-laced quartz in the area in September 1891, according to the tour website. She became the first woman in the area to discover gold and strike a claim in her own name. She died in 1917 and her husband died one year later. Their son was the managing operator of the mine until he died in 1949. Mining there continued into the early 1960s, when it closed, however the mine tours, which had done well for years, continued.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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