Man who died in a ‘tragic accident’ at a Colorado gold mine tourist attraction has been named

A man who died in a Colorado gold mine has been named – investigators discovered he was a guide who worked at the tourist attraction.

Patrick Weier, a 46-year-old father of one, lived in Victor, a community of fewer than 400 people about five miles from the mine.

He was identified as officials tried to understand what happened Thursday afternoon, reports NBC News, Sky News’ U.S. affiliate network.

The circumstances of Mr. Weier’s death were not disclosed, but Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said investigators believe it was a mechanical problem with the elevator rather than a medical incident.

Mr. Weier was one of eleven people in the elevator at the time, four of whom suffered minor injuries.

They were pulled up first while a separate group of 12 tourists and a guide were trapped at a depth of about 300m for six hours following the tragedy.

The trapped group was already underground when the elevator carrying eleven people malfunctioned.

Mr. Mikesell said this “Very tragic accident” The explosion occurred while lifting was about 500 feet into the 1,000-foot-deep shaft of the Mollie Kathleen gold mine near Cripple Creek around noon local time.

“At this time, we don’t know exactly what happened at a depth of 500 feet that caused this,” Mikesell said.

“It’s something we’re working on.”

Mr Mikesell said the elevator was descending when the accident occurred.

Some initial reports said the elevator had suffered a “crash,” but officials did not know whether it fell or bounced, and there was no camera to show the incident, he added.

Read more US news:
Will there be more hurricanes in the Atlantic in 2024?
Hot air balloon hits radio tower
‘Miracle baby’ born during hurricane

Mr. Mikesell said at a news conference on Friday that the mine had passed safety inspections, but he did not know the dates.

The elevator will be operated from a cabin on the surface, he added.

The former mine is about 110 miles (180 km) south of Denver and has been offering tours for 50 years. It opened at the end of the 19th century and closed in 1961.

The ride down takes about two minutes and visitors can see gold veins in the rock and ride the underground tram, according to the mine’s website.

(c) Sky News 2024: Man who died in ‘tragic accident’ at Colorado gold mine tourist attraction named