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Engineers will be performing maintenance in Granby on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Expect interruptions in service between 11 a.m. and the evening hours.

1 person dies and 12 are rescued after elevator malfunctions at Colorado gold mine tourist site

Yellow caution tape reads "police line do not cross"
Tony Webster
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CC BY-SA 4.0
Authorities say one person is dead and 12 are trapped in a former Colorado gold mine after an elevator malfunctioned at the tourist site. Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said Thursday the elevator descending into the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine near the town of Cripple Creek had a mechanical issue around 500 feet beneath the surface.

DENVER (AP) — One person was killed and 12 people were rescued after being trapped for about six hours at the bottom of a former Colorado gold mine when an elevator malfunctioned at the tourist site, authorities said.

The elevator was descending into the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine near the town of Cripple Creek when it had a mechanical problem around 500 feet (152 meters) beneath the surface, creating a “severe danger for the participants,” Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said.

The cause of the vistor’s death was not immediately provided.

The 12 adults who were trapped about 1,000 feet (305 meters) below ground had access to water and used radios to communicate with authorities, who told them there was an elevator issue, Mikesell said.

Mikesell said during a nighttime briefing that authorities do not know yet what caused the malfunction and an investigation is underway. Engineers worked to make sure the elevator was working safely again before bringing the stranded visitors back up on it. They had been prepared to bring them up by rope if necessary, had they not been able to get the elevator fixed.

Mikesell declined to reveal the identification of the victim.