Mine accident in Colorado kills one person; 12 people remain prisoners

CNN
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One person has died, 11 people have been rescued and 12 people are still trapped at the Mollie Kathleen gold mine in Cripple Creek, Colorado, Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said Thursday during a news conference.

According to Mikesell, who did not provide details on the death, two children were among those rescued and four were examined by medical personnel for minor injuries.

Around noon Thursday, the mine, which serves as a tourist attraction, experienced a mechanical problem with the elevator system, posing “a serious problem for passengers on board,” Mikesell said. The cause of the accident is still being investigated.

The 12 people trapped at the bottom of the 1,000-foot-deep mine are safe, Mikesell said. They have water, blankets, chairs and a radio. They were not told there was an elevator malfunction, Mikesell said. According to Mikesell, one of the trapped drivers is a mine employee and a former mine rescue professional.

Mikesell said he hoped to rescue the 12 trapped people by Thursday evening.

“We believe the elevator will be intact,” he said, “but I want to make sure it’s completely safe before we do it. And once that happens, we can bring them up.”

He said the Colorado Fire Department was on scene and able to get people up with a rope, but “they are now also exposing first responders to the threat and danger that this poses” because they would have to travel so far underground.

The last time there was an accident at the mine was in 1986, and it has served as a tourist attraction for “well over 50 years,” Mikesell said.