1 dead, 23 people rescued from Colorado gold mine after elevator malfunction

Katie Langford, The Denver Post on Oct 10, 2024

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DENVER — 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 adults from the bottom of the mine shaft on Thursday night, Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said at a briefing.

It’s not yet clear how the elevator malfunctioned at the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine, a tourist attraction near Cripple Creek, at approximately noon Thursday, Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said at a briefing.

Mikesell said the person died during the initial elevator malfunction but declined to provide more details until he could speak to their family.

Four people 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.

Mikesell stressed that the mine shaft did not collapse and is currently stable.

Emergency crews used the elevator to bring the 11 people on board to the surface, but officials wanted to make sure it was safe to use the elevator again before using it 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 was 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 said.

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 the mine has had since 1986.

That incident involved two people getting trapped in the elevator and did not result in any fatalities, he said.

Gov. Jared Polis dispatched state emergency personnel to the scene and closely monitored the situation, the governor’s office said in a news release. The state also sent an elevator expert and a state mine rescue team.

“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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