One person is dead, and 12 are trapped in 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 had a mechanical issue about 500 feet beneath the surface, creating a "severe danger for the participants," and one person was killed, Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said at a press conference. Twelve people are still at the bottom of the mine, which is about 1,000 feet beneath the surface, the AP reports. They are in safe conditions and in communication by radio with authorities, said Mikesell. Eleven people have been rescued.
Rescuers are working to get the elevator back online. Mikesell declined to identify the victim or say how they died. Four of those rescued had minor injuries, Mikesell said. If crews can't get the elevator working safely, the sheriff said they could rescue the trapped group by rope. He said they want to inspect the elevator before using it. "We do have a Plan B and a Plan C already set in place with rescue officers," Mikesell added. The trapped group has not been told of the elevator's condition. "That's because I want to keep people calm," Mikesell said.
The stranded group has water, chairs, and blankets, he said, and is in no danger of running out of breathable air, per ABC News. The mine has conducted tours since it opened in the 1890s. The tours becoming the mine's main business once production halted in 1961, per the Denver Post. The mine's website describes a one-hour tour in which visitors descend 100 stories. It says visitors can see veins of gold in the rock and ride an underground tram.
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