1 dead, 12 trapped underground after elevator fails at former Colorado gold mine

Colorado officials said Thursday one person was dead and 12 people were trapped underground after an elevator malfunctioned at a former gold mine near the town of Cripple Creek.

The elevator was descending into the Mollie Kathleen gold mine when the unspecified accident occurred about 500 feet below the surface.

The 12 people are now at the bottom of the mine, 1,000 feet below the surface. Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said they are safe and talking to authorities as emergency personnel work to repair the elevator.

“The state is supporting Teller County and sending resources to save those at the mine,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement. “We will do our utmost to support the district in ensuring a quick and safe resolution of the situation.”

The gold mine opened in the 19th century and operated until the 1960s. Today it is a tourist attraction and, according to the mine's website, visitors can see gold veins during the tour.

Mollie Kathleen Gortner was the first woman to discover gold and stake a claim in her own name in the gold camp where the mine is located. The website says: “This was clearly a bold move that did not keep pace with the times. … It was very unusual for a woman to claim something of such value.”

Cripple Creek is a town of about 1,100 residents southwest of Colorado Springs.

Some information in this report comes from Reuters and The Associated Press.