A tour guide was identified on Friday as the person killed when an elevator malfunctioned at a former Colorado gold mine, trapping a dozen visitors 1, feet underground for about seven hours, according to authorities. The group of tourists were roughly halfway to the bottom of the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine in the town of Cripple Creek when the unspecified mechanical glitch occurred shortly before noon on Thursday, amid what is normally a two-minute journey.
Ten tourists, including two children, were quickly rescued from the elevator, with four receiving treatment for minor injuries, according to Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell.
An 11th person in the elevator, identifed on Friday as tour guide Patrick Weier, 46, was killed. The aspiring volunteer firefighter leaves behind a 7-year-old child, Cripple Creek Mayor Annie Durham said at a news conference. After the elevator malfunctioned, a separate group of 12 β who were waiting at the bottom with another tour guide βremained stuck inside the mine for several hours. On Thursday afternoon, Mikesell said the 12 people stranded in the shaft had access to water and kept in contact with authorities above ground via a two-way radio before the elevator was restarted.
The cause is believed to have been a mechnical issue involving a door malfunction, which is now being probed, officials said Friday. We would like to send our prayers and condolences to everyone involved. We would also like to thank all of the first responders and emergency personnel who helped us through such a difficult time.
The Mollie Kathleen will be closed until further notice. Our condolences go out to the family who lost a loved one tonight, please keep them in your prayers. Surveillance footage shot from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, showed on Friday, the most clear images yet of this week's catastrophic midair collision near Washington D. A Houston woman who lost her savings in an elaborate scheme is warning others about what happened.
