One person has been killed and 12 are trapped about 300m (1,000ft) underground at a former Colorado gold mine that’s now a tourist attraction.
It happened around noon on Thursday when a lift failed at Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine attraction in Cripple Creek.
Rescuers are trying to repair the elevator to bring the trapped people back to the surface.
With one group already below ground, the lift had a mechanical fault with another group inside as it was about halfway down the mineshaft, said Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell.
The incident killed one person – although it’s not been revealed how they died – and four others suffered minor injuries.
That group was able to return to the surface but the lift has been put out of commission until the problem is identified and fixed.
Radio communication with the trapped group is working and they have water, blankets and chairs, said the sheriff.
He said they hadn’t been told someone had died, only that there’s a problem with the lift.
Firefighters are on standby for a rescue operation if the fault can’t be fixed.
“If we have to, we can bring people up on those ropes, but it also subjects those first responders now to the threat
and endangerment of doing so,” said Mr Mikesell.
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Content Source: news.sky.com