One individual is lifeless and 12 are trapped in a former Colorado gold mine after an elevator malfunctioned on the vacationer web site, authorities stated Thursday.
The elevator descending into the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine close to the city of Cripple Creek had a mechanical drawback round 152 metres beneath the floor, making a “extreme hazard for the individuals” and one individual was killed, Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell stated at a information convention.
Twelve individuals are nonetheless on the backside of the mine, which is about 305 metres beneath the floor. They’re in protected situations and in communication with authorities, stated Mikesell.
Rescuers are working to get the elevator working. Mikesell declined to establish the sufferer or say how they died.
The sheriff stated they may rescue the trapped group by rope if essential, however had been hoping to get the elevator system working.
Mikesell stated the final time there was an incident was 1986. Gov. Jared Polis stated in a press release that the state was sending assets for the rescue effort.
“We’ll do the whole lot potential and help the county to make sure a speedy and protected decision of the state of affairs,” stated Polis.
The mine opened within the 1800s and was closed within the Nineteen Sixties however nonetheless operates excursions. The mine’s web site describes a one-hour tour wherein guests descend 100 storeys into the earth. It says guests can see veins of gold within the rock and experience an underground tram.
Cripple Creek is a city of about 1,100 individuals situated southwest of Colorado Springs.
