23 Tourists Rescued, One Dead, After Being Trapped in Gold Mine

A group of tourists experienced a terrifying ordeal on Thursday when an equipment malfunction caused them to be trapped underground in a Colorado gold mine shaft, leaving one person dead.

The tour group became trapped near the bottom of the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine in Cripple Creek, CO around noon on Thursday. The mine is a popular tourist destination which runs about 1,000 feet below the surface of the earth. ABC News reports that 11 of the trapped individuals had been rescued earlier in the day on Thursday, including two children, with the remaining 12 brought to safety on Thursday night.

Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said that the death had involved an elevator malfunction, but did not provide further details. Seven of the people who had been trapped were treated by a local hospital and released.

"I am relieved that 12 of the people trapped in the Mollie Kathleen Mine have been safely rescued," Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement on Thursday night. "Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the individual lost in this incident."

Officials had conceived of three potential plans to rescue the group, but were able to go with their plan A, which was to repair the elevator where it was stuck at 500 feet, check the cables, and then test it by sending it all the way to the bottom and back up. Elevator and mine safety experts were brought in to inspect the safety of the elevator before the rescue began, which involved bringing up four adults at a time.

Mikesell noted that there were no concerns about the trapped individuals running out of oxygen, and that they had water, chairs, and blankets. They were also able to communicate with rescuers.

In the wake of the rescues, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Mine Safety is now reportedly investigating the incident.