Colorado mine updates: One dead and 12 trapped as rescue operation continues at Mollie Kathleen gold mine

One person has died and 12 people remain trapped underground at a Colorado gold mine after an equipment failure on Thursday afternoon.

The incident happened at the Mollie Kathleen Mine in Cripple Creek, the Teller County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. The mine has not collapsed.

At least 11 people have been rescued so far and a rescue operation remains underway. Officials have said there are injuries.

Michelle Del Rey is reporting live.

A large group of people was trapped underground Thursday at a Colorado mine used for historical tours.

Here’s what we know about the people impacted:

Twelve people reportedly remain inside the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine, including 11 visitors and a tour guide.

Those inside have water, chairs, and blankets, and are in radio communication with first responders on the surface.

Four people involved in the mine incident have minor injuries.

One person reportedly died in the mine. Their identity has not been released, and it’s unclear if their remains have been recovered.

The Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine is one of the safest mining tourism experiences in the world, according to Colorado officials.

Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said Thursday there have been no recent safety incidents at the mine, KDVR reports.

Officials hope they can rescue the 12 people who remain trapped in a Colorado mine by the end of the day.

An elevator issue stranded the group.

Police say that if it can’t be restored back to safe operation, ropes teams will bring the remaining people up. Eleven people have already been rescued.

“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,” Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell told CBS News Colorado. “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.”

At least 12 people are trapped in a defunct Colorado gold mine used for historical tours.

Photographer Ted Silvius, who visited the mine a few years ago, shared photos on X of what it looks like inside the 1,000 foot-deep cavern.

Visitors to the mine, now a tourism destination, use a cable-powered lift to enter the site, where they participate in a one-hour walking tour.

“Mollie Kathleen’ s tour operation offers a rare glimpse into Colorado mining history, and, as a deep shaft tour operation is both rare, and, particularly vulnerable to ventilation and other issues. Our tour level is an underground museum of Colorado mining history, mechanics and tools,” according to state documents about the mine obtained by CPR.

Police are providing more details about what led a group of visitors to become trapped in the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine on Thursday.

An elevator taking tourists into the mine suffered a mechanical issue, according to the Teller County Sheriff’s Office.

Eleven people, including two children, were rescued via a trolley car, the office told the KOAA news station, while one person died in the original incident.

State engineers will inspect the elevator for safety before it’s put back in use.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department is among the multiple local and state agencies assisting with rescuing those trapped in the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine in Cripple Creek, the agency has announced.

Colorado governor Jared Polis is closely monitoring the ongoing emergency incident at the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine.

Here’s what he said of the situation so far on X.

An apparent equipment malfunction has stranded a group inside of a defunct Colorado gold mine used as a tourist site.

Local officials said one person has died, 11 have been rescued, and 12 remain trapped in the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine in Cripple Creek.

We’ll be following the latest news about the incident live.