One person was killed Thursday and four others were injured after equipment malfunctioned at an inactive mine near Cripple Creek that has operated as a tourist attraction for decades.
A total of 23 people, half of whom were trapped for six hours about 1,000 feet underground at the Mollie Kathleen Mine, were rescued by Thursday evening. The incident drew international attention.
The malfunction happened around noon at about 500 feet below ground when the elevator system failed, the Teller County Sheriff’s Office said. There were 12 people on the elevator at the time of the malfunction, one of whom died, and another dozen people 1,000 feet underground who became stranded.
The elevator was inspected and then used to rescue the people who were stranded underground at about 6:30 p.m.
“I am relieved that 12 of the people trapped in the Mollie Kathleen Mine have been safely rescued,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a written statement just before 7 p.m. “Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the individual lost in this incident.”
Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell declined to immediately release more information about the person who died or the elevator failure — “all I can tell you is we lost someone.” He called it a “tragic accident.”
“It’s going to take a full investigation to know what really went wrong,” the sheriff said. “Accidents happen when you’re dealing with this type of machinery.”
Mikesell said the 12 people who were stranded at the bottom of the mine shaft — all adults from out of state — did not know the full extent of the situation, only that there was an issue with the elevator. One person from the mine company was among the 12 and kept people calm.
“They didn’t know that any of this was going on,” Mikesell said Thursday evening. “It was a shock to them to know that they were actually part of a national media thing.”
The stranded people were in good spirits. “We fed them pizza,” the sheriff said. “That’s what they wanted.”
The four injured were on the elevator when it malfunctioned, the sheriff said. Some had back, neck or arm pain. Two children were on the elevator when the issue occurred, and both are receiving mental health care, according to Mikesell.
“A number of these people had a pretty traumatic incident so I don’t want to release any names at this point,” Mikesell said.
The mine shaft was stable, but the elevator sustained damage in the malfunction.
A state expert on scene made sure the elevator could be used to remove the people stranded 1,000 feet underground. If not, Mikesell said during the afternoon they had “a plan B and a plan C already set in place with rescue officers. It’s really being well done.” He said those backup plans included using ropes and harnesses “but sitting in a harness from 1,000 feet down and coming up is not easy.”
The sheriff said the mine has been owned by the same family for more than 50 years.
“They’re good folks that run this mine,” Mikesell said.
Several agencies deployed experts to the scene, including a mine rescue team from the Department of Natural Resources, an inspector from the Department of Labor and Employment, and several crews from the Colorado Springs fire department, including personnel skilled in technical, high-angle rescues.
A field manager from the Division of Homeland Security and Homeland Management was also on the scene.
The Mollie Kathleen Mine, an 1890s gold mine about 50 miles west of Colorado Springs, is a tourist attraction and offers tours about 1,000 feet underground, according to its website.
The tour is not “claustrophobic,” but the descent through the shaft is, the website reads. The mine elevator is about a 2-minute ride.
A tour typically takes one hour, the website said.
Colorado Sun staff writer Jesse Paul contributed to this report.