At least one person died and four others were injured when about two dozen people were trapped underground at a Colorado tourist mine, Teller County sheriff's officials said Thursday.
Twenty-three people trapped Thursday at the Molly Kathleen Mine have been rescued, the sheriff's office said.
It is unclear how one person died, authorities said. At an evening news conference, Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said the death was a “tragic accident” caused by an elevator malfunction.
He said a full investigation is being conducted to find out what happened.
“Accidents happen when working with this type of equipment,” Mikesell said.
Around noon Thursday, a problem with the elevator was reported, prompting the rescue effort, officials said.
Initially, 11 people, including two children, were in the elevator, according to the police station.
“As a result, one person lost their life and four others suffered minor injuries,” the sheriff’s office said in an update Friday morning. “The elevator managed to return those 11 people to the surface.”
The four injured received medical treatment, authorities said, while the children were not injured.
Another group of “12 tourists and a very experienced guide” took the tour at the 300 meter level. They had water and blankets and were communicating with first responders, authorities said.
According to the police station, the group was brought back to the surface by elevator in two trips that began shortly after 6 pm and ended an hour later. All 12 of that group were unharmed.
The sheriff's office said members of the group of 11 rescued reported neck and back pain, and others said they suffered concussions. None of the 12 people were injured in the second round of rescue attempts, Mikesell said.
Authorities are working to contact the family of the man who died in the initial rescue, Mikesell said.
The group of 12 people – all adults from out of state – were trapped in the mine for about six hours. They “climbed very safely,” four together, Mikesell said, adding that they were all “in good spirits.” –
Mikesell said the mine owner was “pained” to ensure the equipment was able to bring everyone back to the surface.
The first group was trapped in an elevator that stopped in the middle of the shaft, Mikesell said. When it finally reaches the surface, engineers inspect it to make sure there are no other problems.
Once freed, they were able to lower the elevator and bring it back with no one inside, Mikesell said, and decided to use the elevator to rescue the remaining people.
Mikesell said rescuers just told people there was a problem with the elevator, and once rescued, people said they were grateful they didn't know anything else.
Sheriff's officials previously clarified that the mine did not collapse and that the incident was caused by an equipment malfunction.
The last time an incident occurred at the mine was in 1986, officials said. No one died in the incident, but people were trapped in the elevator, Mikesell said.
Teller County is just 100 miles south of Denver.
Gov. Jared Polis said he was “relieved” that the 12 people trapped were safely rescued and offered condolences to the friends and family of one person who died.
Police thanked Mikesell and the rest of the rescue team for their “quick response and tireless efforts.”
“Thanks to this collaborative effort, each of these individuals will return home safely,” Polis said.
Mikesell said police sent “as many personnel as possible” to help with rescue efforts, including inspectors to ensure the faulty elevator was working properly and mine safety personnel. He added that, together with first responders, “we were able to come up with a plan that worked and that plan was to bring them through the elevator system.”
The mine was scheduled to close on Sunday for the season. According to their website. Mikesell said the mine closed Thursday night and the company hopes to reopen next season.
It offers hour-long tours where visitors can “descend vertically 100 stories into the earth” to “witness the evolution of underground mining,” the website says.
