One person has tragically died, and 23 others have been rescued following a lift malfunction at the disused Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine in Cripple Creek, Colorado, a popular tourist destination.
The incident occurred on Thursday, when two groups of 12 people were touring the privately owned mine, leaving one group stranded underground for six hours.
The malfunction happened around 500 feet below the surface, causing what officials described as a “severe danger for the participants.”
According to Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell, “We did have one fatality that occurred during this issue at 500ft.”
While details about the deceased were not provided, the remaining 11 tourists from the first group, including two children, were successfully rescued, four of them suffering minor injuries.
A second group, also trapped in a tunnel at the mine’s bottom, was safely brought to the surface later in the day.
Sheriff Mikesell explained that the rescue was delayed due to an “elevator issue to resolve before they could be brought up.”
The hour-long tour, according to the company’s website, takes visitors 1,000 feet down the shaft into the southwestern side of Pikes Peak.
Rescue teams used radios to communicate with the second group of tourists.
Sheriff Mikesell assured reporters, “They have chairs, blankets, water, and are at a safe temperature,” adding, “This was due to an equipment malfunction. The mine did not collapse.”
Several agencies, including search and rescue teams, responded to the situation, using heavy equipment to assist in the rescue.
Hours later, Colorado Governor Jared Polis expressed relief, stating, “I am relieved that 12 of the people trapped in the Mollie Kathleen Mine have been safely rescued.”
The Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine, named after Mollie Kathleen Gortner, the first woman to strike gold in the Cripple Creek Gold Camp in 1891, is known for offering a unique experience that mimics the sights and sounds of mining in the 1890s.
Visitors can view exposed gold veins in their natural state, and the revenue from tours is used to “maintain the mine in safe operable mining condition,” according to the company’s website.
The mine, set to close for the season on Sunday, had not reported an incident since 1986, though no further details were provided.
Visitors have described the lift, referred to as a “cage” by some, as tight and potentially claustrophobic on review sites like TripAdvisor, though these reports remain unverified.
William Snare, a former hoist operator at the mine, told the Colorado Springs Gazette that the lift could hold nine to 15 people, with the descent taking around two minutes and the ascent about four to five minutes.
Source-BBC
