Although it hasn’t been used for mining for many years, the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine near Cripple Creek is still accessible to tourists. An elevator malfunctioned Thursday night, trapping twelve people deep below the surface of a once-famous gold mine in Colorado that is now a popular tourist site. Authorities reported that the passengers were freed.
At the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine near Cripple Creek, one person had perished, and eleven others had been saved hours before.
The Teller County Sheriff’s Office reported that although the gold mine has been closed to mining for decades, tours are still available around 1,000 feet below the surface.
Related: Shooting Near Luxury Mexico Resort Leaves One Dead, Suspects Escape on Jet Skis
According to officials, the elevator that carries visitors into the mine around lunchtime had a mechanical problem, putting passengers at risk.
Eleven individuals were first saved using a trolley vehicle, two of them children. About 500 feet down in the mine, an anonymous individual passed away, while four of them only suffered minor wounds.
After state engineers decided it was safe to pull the stranded tourists back to the surface, the other 12 were saved hours later.
Sheriff Jason Mikesell stated that the 12 people who were stranded were safe at the 1,000-foot level. They honestly don’t know that we’ve had an issue other than there’s a problem with the elevator.”
The state Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety mandates that Colorado’s mines open to the public appoint a person to conduct daily inspections of the mines and the transportation infrastructure.
Mikesell said he was unaware of the date of the most recent inspection. The inspection records were not instantly available on the Internet.
Governor of Colorado Jared Polis acknowledged knowledge of the circumstance.
“The successful rescue of 12 individuals stranded in the Mollie Kathleen Mine relieves me. Polis said, “Our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the individual lost in this incident.” “I thank Teller County and Sheriff Mikesell and his team, as well as the other law enforcement and first responders from local and state government for their swift response and tireless efforts, including members of the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Labor and Employment, and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.”
“Thanks to this collaborative effort, each of these individuals will return home safely,” he said.
Tours are still offered at the mine, which closed in 1961 but opened in the 1800s. Its website offers a one-hour trip that takes guests 1,000 feet below the planet’s surface. It claims they can ride a subterranean tram and view gold veins in the rock.
According to the company’s website, Mollie Kathleen Gortner, a woman named Mollie Kathleen Gortner, found the site of the mine in 1891. She saw gold-laced quartz.
The trips take place from May through October’s second weekend.
