By Daniel Trotta, Reuters
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One person is dead following an elevator failure at a former Colorado gold mine that is now a tourist attraction, officials say.
Some 12 others - 11 tourists and a guide - were trapped 1000 feet (300 metres) underground for more than two hours before they were rescued, Colorado Governor Jared Polis said.
Another 11 people were rescued from the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine attraction in Cripple Creek, Colorado, Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell told reporters.
With one tour group below ground, the elevator experienced some type of mechanical failure with another group aboard while it was about halfway down the mine shaft. This resulted in one fatality while four other people suffered minor injuries, Mikesell said without providing details of how the person died.
That group was able to return to the surface on the elevator, which has since been out of commission, the sheriff said.
Before they were rescued, responders had radio communication with the people trapped below, and they had water, blankets and chairs to keep them comfortable, Mikesell said.
But they were not told that someone died, only that there was a problem with the elevator, the sheriff said.
A family business has been operating tours at the mine, which is about 110 miles (180 km) south of Denver, for 50 years, with only one previous, unspecified safety incident in 1986, Mikesell said.
- Reuters