1 killed, dozens rescued after mine equipment malfunction near Cripple Creek

DENVER ( KDVR ) — Workers successfully rescued 23 people on Thursday from a former Colorado gold mine, now operated as a tourist site, including 12 people who were trapped about 1,000 feet underground, officials announced late Thursday.

The Teller County Sheriff’s Office said at about 7:45 p.m. on Thursday that 12 people who had been trapped underground for about six hours were safely above ground after officials were able to use the mine’s elevator to lift them out four at a time.

The incident occurred at the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine near the town of Cripple Creek. The sheriff said one of the 12 people who were trapped Thursday afternoon is an employee with mine safety experience and the other 11 are tourists.

Mine’s elevator may have failed: Officials

Details of what happened in the mine are still sparse, but Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said in an initial briefing that 11 people were rescued after an equipment failure in the mine, which resulted in injuries and one death. During the last briefing on the incident, Mikesell indicated that the failure had to do with the elevator system, which lowers guests 1,000 feet into the once-active gold mine.

Officials said the failure occurred at about halfway down the shaft. Officials were able to successfully retrieve the remains of the person who died and are in contact with the family. The individual who died was not identified on Thursday.

Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement released at 7:30 p.m. that he was relieved to hear of the successful rescue.

“I am relieved that 12 of the people trapped in the Mollie Kathleen Mine have been safely rescued. Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the individual lost in this incident,” Polis wrote. “I thank Teller County and Sheriff Mikesell and his team, as well as the other law enforcement and first responders from local and state government for their swift response and tireless efforts, including members of the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Labor and Employment, and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Thanks to this collaborative effort, each of these individuals will return home safely.”

The sheriff said that the people who were trapped had not been informed of the extent of the issue and were only told that checks were being made on the elevator. Eventually, officials informed them they were involved in a news story drawing national attention.

Two of the people who were rescued initially are children, and they are being offered mental health counseling by local professionals. The final 12 people pulled from the mine were all adults, officials said.

At about 6:30 p.m., Polis said in a statement that he was “saddened” to learn about the death at the mine and sent his sympathy to the family and loved ones of the victim.

“While we are still gathering information, the State of Colorado is doing everything in our power to support local authorities and ensure the safe rescue of those who are still in the mine. I have been in close contact with local authorities and continue to monitor the situation closely as we direct state resources to support the swift and safe resolution of this unfortunate event,” said Polis.

The mine opened in the 1800s and was closed in the 1960s but still operates tours. The mine’s website describes a one-hour tour in which visitors descend 100 stories into the earth. It says visitors can see veins of gold in the rock and ride an underground tram.

Officials offer resources, support during rescue efforts

Polis said in a statement that the state was sent resources for the rescue effort.

“We will do everything possible and assist the county to ensure a speedy and safe resolution of the situation,” said Polis.

According to the sheriff, there have been no recent safety incidents at the mine and it is one of the safer mine tourism experiences in the world. The last accident at the mine took place in 1986, Mikesell said.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department assisted in the mine rescue response. Fire Chief Randy Royal said they were responding through a mutual aid agreement.

The Colorado Department of Natural Resources Division of Reclamation also said it was responding to the incident with staff who are experts in mine safety. The state also sent a field manager from the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to the scene, the State Emergency Operations Center is activated and supporting resource requests and the Department of Labor and Employment has a conveyances inspector en route. Department of Natural Resources Executive Director Dan Gibbs is also en route to the site.

The Occupational Safety and Health Agency will be investigating the mine for safety. Officials said the tourist destination is reaching the end of its season, as it closes for the winter. The elevator has been taken offline as officials work to determine what went wrong.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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