麻豆传媒

Skip to main content

1 person is dead and 12 are trapped in a former Colorado gold mine

Emergency personnel stage outside the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine in Cripple Creek, Colo., Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, after one person died in an equipment malfunction during a tour of the mine. (Arthur Trickette-Wile / The Gazette via AP) Emergency personnel stage outside the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine in Cripple Creek, Colo., Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, after one person died in an equipment malfunction during a tour of the mine. (Arthur Trickette-Wile / The Gazette via AP)
Share
DENVER -

One person is dead and 12 are trapped in a former Colorado gold mine after an elevator malfunctioned at the tourist site, authorities said Thursday.

The elevator descending into the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine near the town of Cripple Creek had a mechanical issue around 500 feet (152 metres) beneath the surface, creating a 鈥渟evere danger for the participants鈥 and one person was killed, Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said at a press conference.

Twelve people are still at the bottom of the mine, which is about 1,000 feet (305 metres) beneath the surface. They are in safe conditions and in communication with authorities, said Mikesell. Rescuers are working to get the elevator back online.

Mikesell declined to identify the victim or say how they died.

The sheriff said they could rescue the trapped group by rope if necessary, but were hoping to get the elevator system working.

Mikesell said the last time there was an incident was 1986.

Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement that the state was sending resources for the rescue effort.

鈥淲e will do everything possible and assist the county to ensure a speedy and safe resolution of the situation,鈥 said Polis.

The mine opened in the 1800s and was closed in the 1960s but still operates tours. The mine's website describes a one-hour tour in which visitors descend 100 stories into the earth. It says visitors can see veins of gold in the rock and ride an underground tram.

Cripple Creek is a town of about 1,100 people located southwest of Colorado Springs. 

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

A Halifax-area couple has been ordered to pay nearly $61,000 in damages and $4,000 in court costs after their dog attacked and injured a homecare nurse at their residence in 2016.

The superintendent of the Winnipeg School Division (WSD) has apologized over a message displayed during a professional development day on Wednesday.

Local Spotlight

Jeff Warner from Aidie Creek Gardens in the northern Ontario community of Englehart has a passion for growing big pumpkins and his effort is paying off in more ways than one.

Saskatchewan鈥檚 Jessica Campbell has made hockey history, becoming the first ever female assistant coach in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Have you ever seen videos of hovercrafts online or on TV and thought, 'Wow, I wish I could ride one of those.' One Alberta man did, and then built his own.

A B.C. couple is getting desperate 鈥 and creative 鈥 in their search for their missing dog.

Videos of a meteor streaking across the skies of southern Ontario have surfaced and small bits of the outer space rock may have made it to land, one astronomy professor says.

A unique form of clouds made an appearance over the skies of Ottawa on Sunday evening.

Bernie Hicks, known as the 鈥楤atman of Amherst,鈥 always wanted to sit in a Batmobile until a kind stranger made it happen.

Bubi鈥檚 Awesome Eats, located on University Ave West took to social media to announce the closure on Friday.

Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and the Government of Ontario have awarded a $1.8 billion fixed-price contract to design, build and finance a new Far North hospital.