One dead, 23 tourists rescued after gold mine elevator malfunction

Saturday, 11 Oct, 2024 0

A tour deep beneath the ground inside na old gold mine has led to a major rescue operation.

One person died and 23 people had to be rescued following an elevator malfunction at the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine, a popular tourist site.

The mechanical issue with the elevator system, caused ‘severe danger for the participants,’ Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said.

“Accidents happen when dealing with this kind of machinery.”

Eleven people were initially rescued from the elevator on Thursday.

Another 12 who were trapped at the bottom of the mine were rescued about six hours later.

Four of those rescued were treated for minor injuries, police said.

The family owned mine has been operating for more than 50 years.

It last experienced an elevator accident in 1986 when two people were trapped in an elevator, but were rescued safe and well.

The mine operates one-hour tours which descends 1,000 feet below ground.

The accident was on one of the last tours of the season.

The mine was due to close this weekend for the winter.

TravelMole Editorial Team

Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.

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