Twelve people were rescued after roughly seven hours trapped 1,000 feet underground in a Colorado gold mine on Pikes Peak following a deadly elevator malfunction, according to the Teller County Sheriff’s Office.
Emergency responders were able to use the elevator to evacuate 12 remaining adults from the bottom of the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine on Thursday night, Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said at a briefing.
It’s not yet clear how the elevator malfunctioned while carrying a group of tourists near Cripple Creek around noon Thursday, he said.
One person died during the initial elevator malfunction, but Mikesell declined to provide more details until he could speak to their family.
Four people in the elevator sustained minor injuries and reported neck, back and arm pain and were treated by paramedics, he said.
Mikesell said two children were on the elevator and will have access to mental health resources.
The mine elevator experienced a mechanical issue when it was about 500 feet deep in the mine, causing “severe danger” for those on board, he said.
Emergency crews used the elevator to bring the 11 people on board to the surface soon after the malfunction, but officials needed to make sure the equipment was safe before using the elevator again to bring up the 12 people still at the bottom of the mine shaft, Mikesell said.
One tour company employee was among those trapped, and the group had water, chairs and blankets during the ordeal.
The group was able to communicate with emergency crews by radio, but they were not told the extent of the problem with the elevator until they were rescued, Mikesell said.
First responders also had other rescue options available, including using ropes and harnesses to lift people out of the mine.
Mikesell did not know the last time the elevator was inspected and said that would be part of the investigation, but added this is the only safety issue he’s aware of at the mine since 1986.
That incident involved two people getting trapped in the elevator and did not result in any fatalities, he said.
State law requires tourist mines to conduct daily safety inspections, including to elevators, ventilation, and possible electrical and mine hazards, according to the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety.
Records of those inspections were not immediately available Thursday night.
Gov. Jared Polis dispatched state emergency personnel to the scene and closely monitored the situation throughout the day, the governor’s office said in a news release. The state also sent an elevator expert and a state mine rescue team to the scene.
“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 said in a statement.
The now-defunct mine offers hourlong tours by taking visitors 1,000 feet down the shaft into the southwest side of Pikes Peak, according to the tour company’s website.
This was the last weekend of the tour season, Mikesell said.
The mine has offered tours in some format since it opened in the 1890s, with mine tours becoming the main focus after production ceased in 1961.
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