CNN — One person has died, 11 people have been rescued and 12 people remain trapped at the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine, a tourist mine in Cripple Creek, Colorado, Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said Thursday during a news conference.
Among those rescued, two were children and four were seen by medical personnel for minor injuries, according to Mikesell, who did not provide details on the fatality.
At around noon Thursday, the mine experienced a mechanical issue with its elevator system, causing “a severe issue for riders on-board,” Mikesell said. The cause of the accident remains under investigation.
The 12 people trapped at the bottom of the 1,000-foot-deep mine are safe, Mikesell said. As they face cold temperatures around 50 degrees, they have water, blankets, chairs and a radio. Facilities like restrooms however aren’t available underground, according to the tour website. One of the trapped riders is an employee of the mine and a former mine-rescue professional, according to Mikesell.
Mikesell said he hopes to rescue the twelve trapped people by Thursday evening.
“We believe that the elevator will be intact,” he said, “but I want to make sure its perfectly safe before we do. And once that happens, then we’ll be able to bring them up.”
He said the Colorado Fire Department is on-scene and able to bring people up with a rope, but “it also subjects those first responders now to the threat and endangerment of doing so,” because of how far underground they would have to travel.
Gov. Jared Polis expressed his condolences to the family of the individual who died at the Mollie Kathleen Mine, and said state personnel are working with local authorities to help rescue those who are still trapped.
“I am saddened to learn of the loss of a life in this tragic accident, and my heart goes out to the family and loved ones during this difficult time,” Polis said in a statement Thursday evening.
“While we are still gathering information, the State of Colorado is doing everything in our power to support local authorities and ensure the safe rescue of those who are still in the mine,” he said. “I have been in close contact with local authorities and continue to monitor the situation closely as we direct state resources to support the swift and safe resolution of this unfortunate event.”
The mine last experienced an accident in 1986, and it has been operating as a tourist attraction for “well over 50 years,” Mikesell said.
The one hour tour – an entirely underground experience that takes guests through the 1890s gold mine – “is not claustrophobic but, the descent in the shaft is very close for 2 minutes (each way),” the tour website states. After going down the elevator, guests take a short ride on an underground rail car, then continue on foot for a quarter mile of flat and level walking and are shown how gold mining worked, according to the website. Guests are provided hard hats, and are told to leave personal items like walkers and wheelchairs behind during the tour.
CNN’s Lucy Kafanov contributed to this report.
