A tourist gold mine in Colorado experienced an elevator malfunction Thursday that left one person dead and trapped 12 others 1,000 feet beneath the surface, according to local authorities, who are aiming to make a successful rescue by this evening.
The mine is located near Cripple Creek, Colorado. (Photo by Nina Raingold/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
Visitors of Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine in Cripple Creek, Colorado, were onboard an elevator about 500 feet below ground level when it malfunctioned, leaving one person dead, four people injured and 12 others who already used the elevator stranded, according to ABC Denver, which cited a press conference update from Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell.
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Those onboard the elevator after the incident were rescued, though it remains unclear how the one unidentified person was killed.
The people trapped in the mine are with a worker and have access to chairs, water and blankets, Mikesell said.
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Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement Thursday there are state and local authorities on the scene, adding they will look to “ensure a speedy and safe resolution of the situation.”
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How Will Those Trapped In The Mine Be Freed?
Authorities are attempting to figure out what happened to the elevator and if it can safely be used to bring up the stranded people, with rope teams from the Colorado Springs Fire Department being considered as a backup plan, according to Mikesell.
Key Background
The Mollie Kathleen gold mine, about a two-hour drive south of Denver, provides visitors with a one-hour tour stretching 1,000 feet beneath the surface. The mine was founded in the 1800s and closed in the 1960s, when its owners decided tour revenues would be used to maintain the mine in case it could one day be used for gold production again, according to the mine’s website. The website also recommends visitors bring jackets suitable for temperatures of about 50 degrees. Mikesell said the mine had not experienced an incident since 1986.
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Further Reading
1 dead, 12 trapped 1,000 feet underground after equipment malfunction at Teller County mine (ABC Denver)
One dead, a dozen others trapped inside Colorado tourist mine after equipment malfunction (Denver Gazzette)
Colorado’s best ski deal? Maybe one that costs nothing at all. At Steamboat Springs’ Howelsen Hill, “Sunday Funday is taken to an entirely new level,” reads the city webpage for Ski Free Sundays. Yes, on Sundays throughout the season, visitors need only to walk into the ticket office to grab a pass at no charge. […]
While Colorado ranks near the middle of U.S. states for carbon emissions per capita, it still produces enough CO2 per person to rival countries on the World Bank’s list of top emitters internationally.
In 2023, Colorado produced 13.9 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per capita. If it had been ranked by the World Bank during the same year, Colorado would have placed 14th among the more than 200 countries on the list, just behind Canada, at 14.1, and just ahead of the U.S. as a whole, at 13.7.
Among U.S. states, Colorado ranked 26th in carbon emissions per capita. Wyoming had the highest per capita emissions in the country, at 92.9 metric tons, while Maryland had the lowest, at 7.8.
Most of Colorado’s emissions come from energy production and consumption, primarily natural gas and oil production and electric power production and consumption.
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The Colorado Sun partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.
Sources
References:
Colorado State Energy Profile, U.S. Energy Information Administration, accessed in December 2025. Source link
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2023 Colorado Statewide Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, pg. 128, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, November 2024. Source link
Senate Bill 24-230 Oil and Gas Production Fees, Colorado General Assembly, accessed in December, 2025. Source link
Senate Bill 23-016 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Measures, Colorado General Assembly, accessed in December 2025. Source link
Carbon dioxide emissions, World Bank Group, 2024, accessed in December 2025. Source link
Energy-related CO2 emission data tables, U.S. Energy Information Administration, accessed in December 2025. Source link
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Type of Story: Fact-Check
Checks a specific statement or set of statements asserted as fact.
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Cassis Tingley is a Denver-based freelance journalist. She’s spent the last three years covering topics ranging from political organizing and death doulas in the Denver community to academic freedom and administrative accountability at the…
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Colorado Buffaloes defensive back Tawfiq Byard (7) reacts in the first quarter against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
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