One person has died and 23 people were rescued after an elevator malfunction trapped them hundreds of feet underground at the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine in Colorado. The incident occurred at around noon on Thursday and caused a severe danger for the participants at the tourist mine.
Eleven people were rescued earlier in the day, while a dozen more were trapped for about six hours before being rescued on Thursday night. Among those rescued, two were children and four required medical attention for minor injuries. A tour guide at the mine, Patrick Weier, was identified as the person who tragically died in the incident.
The rescue operation involved bringing people up four at a time on the elevator, and the mine last experienced an accident in 1986 with no fatalities reported. The mine offers an hour-long tour that takes guests underground to learn about gold mining in the 1890s.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis expressed relief that most of the trapped individuals were rescued safely and offered condolences to the family of the person who died in the incident. The Colorado Springs Fire Department also expressed gratitude to first responders for ensuring the safety of those trapped in the mine.
The mine was scheduled to close for the season before reopening in May, and the incident remains under investigation to determine the cause of the elevator malfunction. The community mourns the loss of the tour guide and offers support to the families affected by the tragic event.
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