Colorado mine accident leaves 1 dead and 4 hurt, sheriff says; rescue underway for trapped visitors
One person was killed and four others were injured Thursday during a tour at Colorado's Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine, Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said. A rescue operation is currently underway to bring 12 people out of the mine.
The tourist attraction is located in Cripple Creek. Mikesell said the trolley car that goes down the elevator as part of the tour was down 500 feet when a mechanical issue happened. That led to the injuries and the death. So far it's not clear exactly how the victim died.
Mikesell said the fatal victim and the four people injured were part of a group that was removed from the mine, but there is another group of 12 people, including children, still stuck. Mikesell said that group, which 1,000 feet underground, is safe and unharmed.
Safety officials are working on getting the elevator back in working order to rescue the 12 people. Mikesell said that if the elevator can't be made safe, there are crews on scene to bring each of them to safety using ropes. Mikesell said that his biggest concern right now is keeping those still in the mine calm while they coordinate the rescue. The sheriff is hoping to have everyone out of the mine Thursday night.
"We have people and engineers from the state of Colorado, from our local jurisdictions, mine safety, from our partnering mine right over here, our fire departments," Mikesell said. "We have the best people in the country that are here working on this issue right now, and my hope is that we can have it resolved tonight."
The identity of the person who was killed has not been released.
Colorado state Sen. Mark Baisley, a Republican who represents Teller County, called the situation a tragic.
"The best outcome right now (is) a lot of families get together to recover from the fatality and to comfort each other," Baisley said. "But I'd sure like to see those 11 people -- 12 people including the employee -- be brought up tonight."
Gov. Jared Polis said he is directing state resources "to assist Teller County authorities with the ongoing Mollie Kathleen Mine rescue efforts."
"The state is assisting Teller County and sending resources to rescue those inside the mine," Polis said in a prepared statement. "We will do everything possible and assist the county to ensure a speedy and safe resolution of the situation."
About the gold mine tour
The Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine is located at 9388 Highway 67, which is about an hour west of Colorado Springs. It advertises itself on its website as the "Only Vertical Shaft Gold Mine Tour." Visitors on the tour descend 1,000 feet underground.
Mikesell said the tourist attraction has operated for more than 50 years.
