BREAKING NEWS

1 person is dead and 12 are trapped in a former Colorado gold mine

Oct 10, 2024, 6:15 PM | Updated: 6:33 pm

Emergency personnel stage outside the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine in Cripple Creek, Colorado, Thursda...

Emergency personnel stage outside the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine in Cripple Creek, Colorado on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, after one person died in an equipment malfunction during a tour of the mine according to the Teller County Sheriff's Department. (Arthur Trickette-Wile/The Gazette via the Associated Press)

(Arthur Trickette-Wile/The Gazette via the Associated Press)

DENVER (AP) — One person was killed and officials were working to rescue 12 others trapped deep beneath the surface of a former Colorado gold mine after an elevator malfunctioned at the tourist site, authorities said Thursday.

The elevator descending into the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine near the town of Cripple Creek, Colorado, had a mechanical problem around 500 feet (152 meters) beneath the surface. This created a “severe danger for the participants” and killed one person, said Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell at a press conference.

Twelve people were still at the bottom of the Colorado mine, about 1,000 feet (305 meters) beneath the surface. They were safe and in communication with authorities, said Mikesell. Rescuers were working to get the elevator back online.

Someone reported the elevator accident to authorities at about noon, the sheriff said. He declined to identify the victim or say how they died. Two children were involved but it was unclear if they were among those who were trapped.

Eleven people who were riding the elevator were rescued, Mikesell said. Four had minor injuries. The sheriff did not elaborate on how they were injured or the nature of the elevator’s mechanical problems.

The sheriff said authorities could rescue the trapped group by rope if necessary. But they were hoping to get the elevator system safely working and to resolve the situation Thursday night.

Please read the complete Associated Press story.

___
Brown reported from Billings, Mont.

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1 person is dead and 12 are trapped in a former Colorado gold mine