Investigators were trying to figure out Friday what led an elevator to malfunction at a former Colorado gold mine, killing one person, injuring four others and leaving 12 people trapped for hours at the bottom of the tourist attraction 1,000 feet 305 meters beneath the surface.
The elevator was descending into the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine near the town of Cripple Creek in the mountains near Colorado Springs on Thursday when it had a mechanical problem around 500 feet 152 meters beneath the surface, Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said.
What exactly caused the visitor's death was not immediately provided. The victim has yet to be identified.
Eleven other people, including two children, who were riding the elevator were rescued. Four had minor injuries including back pain, neck pain and arm pain, the sheriff said.
Twelve adults from a second group were trapped for about six hours Thursday below ground. They had access to water and used radios to communicate with authorities, who told them there was an elevator issue, Mikesell said.
