One person is dead, four people are injured and 12 are trapped 1,000 feet underground in a Colorado gold mine on Pikes Peak after an elevator malfunction, according to the Teller County Sheriff’s Office.
Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine in Cripple Creek, Colorado. (Dreamstime/TNS)
Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine in Cripple Creek, Colorado. (Dreamstime/TNS)
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 want to make sure it’s 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.
“We don’t know, because of the damage the elevator sustained, whether that would contribute to it failing,” he said.
One tour company employee is among those trapped, and the group has water, chairs and blankets and know there’s an issue with the elevator, Mikesell said.
The group is communicating with emergency crews by radio, but has not been told the extent of the problem with the elevator to keep them calm.
First responders also have other rescue options available, including using ropes and harnesses to lift people out of the mine, Mikesell said.
“My hope is that we can have it resolved tonight,” he 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.
Gov. Jared Polis is “closely monitoring” the situation and state emergency personnel are on scene with more on the way, the governor’s office said in a news release. The state also is sending an elevator expert and a state mine rescue team is en route.
“The state is assisting Teller County and sending resources to rescue those inside the mine. We will do everything possible and assist the county to ensure a speedy and safe resolution of the situation,” 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.
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.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
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