Twelve tourists were rescued from the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine in Cripple Creek, Colorado after an hours-long operation.
According to CBS, 12 visitors were trapped 1,000 feet (305m) deep in a privately owned tourist attraction gold mine due to an elevator malfunction. Officials said that the mechanical issue arose when the lift was around 500ft beneath the surface, which was “a severe danger for the participants.”
After seven hours of continuous efforts, the safety officials were able to bring the elevator back to work and rescue 12 people by 7:30 pm local time on Thursday, October 10, 2024.
One person died while 11 others, including 2 children, are fine and safe. Four people had minor injuries.
During the rescue operation, Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said, “We have people and engineers from the state of Colorado, from our local jurisdictions, mine safety, from our partnering mine right over here, our fire departments.”
“We have the best people in the country that are here working on this issue right now, and my hope is that we can have it resolved tonight," he continued.
Governor Jared Polis, who announced the success of the rescue mission, expressed “relief” at the safe rescue of tourists and extended his “deepest condolences” to the family and friends of the tourist who lost his life during the unpleasant incident.
