One person is confirmed to have died at the incident in Colorado
A malfunction on a lift which descends deep into a disused gold mine left tourists trapped for hours 1,000 feet below ground.
One person is confirmed to have died in the incident which left 23 tourists stuck in the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine, located in Cripple Creek.
The group had descended into the mine on Thursday (October 10) as part of a tour, but found themselves trapped when the elevator got stuck at 500 feet.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the Teller County Sheriff’s Office explained: “11 people were on the elevator when the malfunction occurred. Among them were two children. As a result, one individual lost their life, and four other people received minor injuries.”
As well as the 11 people in the elevator, another 12 tourists as well as a highly experienced guide were already on the ground in the shaft after beginning the tour.
Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said there was no concern that the tourists would run out of oxygen in the mine shaft, but the malfunction did create a ‘severe danger’.
In a statement prior to their rescue, the sheriff said: “They have chairs, blankets, water and are at a safe temperature. This was due to an equipment malfunction. The mine did not collapse.”
The statement from the Sheriff’s Office continued: “The elevator was able to return those 11 people back to the surface.
“The four injured people received medical attention. The children were not injured. The people from the elevator were also provided mental health services to help deal with any trauma.”
Those trapped in the mine were able to communicate with rescuers, who worked to free them by repairing the elevator stuck at 500 feet.
Engineers had to check the cables and run a test round, but once the elevator was deemed safe it could be used to return the 12 tourists and the guide to the surface.
Seven of the initial group of people rescued were taken to hospital to be treated before being released, while the remaining 12 were all safe and uninjured, the sheriff’s office said.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis expressed his condolences to the family and friends of the person who lost their life in the incident.
Mikesell said the death was related to the elevator malfunction, but no further details were immediately available.
There has not been an incident of this kind at the mine since 1986, Mikesell said.