Twelve people trapped deep underground at Colorado gold mine are rescued after six hours

Twelve people have been rescued from an ex- gold mine in Colorado after being trapped for six hours.

A lift was carrying a separate group of tourists when it malfunctioned about halfway down the mine shaft at the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine, a tourist attraction in Cripple Creek, Colorado.

One person died and four others suffered minor injuries as a result of the malfunction, Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell told reporters without explaining the cause of death.

The elevator was stuck briefly until it was able to return to the surface with 11 people aboard, he said.

However, 11 other tourists and one tour guide remained stuck further below the surface until the elevator was repaired.

When that was done six hours later, they were brought back four at a time.

"They're all in good spirits. We fed them pizza. That's what they wanted," Mr Mikesell said.

The successful repair avoided the need to drop a harness down the mine shaft with a rope and bring people up one at a time.

The emergency services had radio communication with the people while they were trapped, and they had water, blankets and chairs to keep them comfortable.

But they were not told someone in the other tour group had died in order to avoid anxiety, Mr Mikesell said.

Cripple Creek is about 45 miles from Colorado Springs , through mountain roads near the Pikes Peak summit in the southern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains.

A family business has operated tours at the Mollie Kathleen mine for more than 50 years, with only one previous safety incident in which people were trapped in the elevator in 1986.

The one-hour tours show how gold was mined at the site since it was discovered there in 1891 by a woman named Mollie Kathleen Gortner, according to the tour's website. Temperatures underground are typically around 10C.

Tours date to the early days of the mine but became its main function after mining was discontinued in 1961, the site says.

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