Twelve rescued from Colorado gold mine tourist site after elevator mishap

The elevator was descending into the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine near the town of Cripple Creek when it had a mechanical problem around 500 feet beneath the surface

A police officer moves a barrier for an emergency vehicle at Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine in Cripple Creek, Colorado (Arthur H Trickett-Wile/The Gazette via AP)

Twelve people were rescued on Thursday night after being trapped for about six hours at the bottom of a former Colorado gold mine when an elevator malfunctioned at the tourist site, leaving one person dead.

The elevator was descending into the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine near the town of Cripple Creek when it had a mechanical problem around 500 feet (150 metres) beneath the surface, creating a “severe danger for the participants”, and one person was killed, Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said.