Saturday, October 12, 2024 - One person died and 12 people were trapped when an elevator malfunctioned as tourists visited a former Colorado gold mine.
The incident happened on Thursday, October 10, 2024.
By Thursday night, the twelve people were safely rescued
after being trapped for hours at the bottom of a former Colorado gold mine,
authorities said.
The elevator was descending into the Mollie Kathleen Gold
Mine near the town of Cripple Creek when it had a mechanical problem around 152
metres beneath the surface, creating a "severe danger for the
participants," and one person was killed, Teller County Sheriff Jason
Mikesell said at a media conference.
The twelve who were rescued were about 305 metres below
ground. They were safe and in communication with authorities while
waiting, and were in good spirits after they were rescued, Mikesell said.
Authorities gave them pizza once they were out and told them everything that had happened. While at the bottom, authorities had only told them there was an elevator problem.
Mikesell said during a nighttime briefing that authorities
do not know yet what caused the malfunction and an investigation is underway.
Engineers worked to make sure the elevator was working safely again before
bringing the stranded visitors back up.
He declined to reveal the victim's name.
The incident happened during the final week of the site's
season before it shuts down for the winter, Mikesell said.
Mikesell said the last time there was an accident was in the
1980s but did not say what had happened.
Mines operated as tourist attractions in Colorado must
designate someone to inspect the mines and the transportation systems daily,
according to the state's Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety. Mikesell
said he didn't know the date of the last inspection.
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