Denver (Colorado) [US], October 11: Officials have said one person is dead and 12 people are trapped 300 metres underground after an elevator malfunctioned at a tourist site in the US state of Colorado.
Officials said the elevator incident occurred at the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine tourist site in Cripple Creek, Colorado, on October 10 ( US time). The Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine was once mined and is now a tourist attraction.
Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said the elevator going down to the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine experienced a mechanical failure about 500 feet below ground, creating a "serious hazard to those involved" and one person died, according to KOAT-TV.
Mr. Mikesell declined to identify the victim or say how he died.
The sheriff told reporters that 11 people had been rescued from Mollie Kathleen, and emergency responders were working to repair the elevator to bring back the 11 trapped tourists and a tour guide, according to Reuters.
The sheriff said they could rescue the group using ropes if necessary but hoped the elevator system would work. The group is safe and in contact with authorities, Mikesell said.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis said in a statement that the state is sending resources to the rescue effort. "We will do everything we can and support the county to ensure the situation is resolved quickly and safely," Polis stressed.
The last accident at the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine tourist site was in 1986, according to Mr. Mikesell.
The Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine opened in the 1800s and closed in the 1960s, but still offers tours. The mine's website describes a one-hour tour that takes visitors 100 stories underground, where they can see gold veins in the rock and ride a tram.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper