Tour guide killed after elevator malfunctions underground in gold mine: Sheriff

A tour guide died at a Colorado gold mine after an elevator experienced a mechanical issue hundreds of feet below ground, trapping nearly two dozen others, authorities said.

The tourists became stuck in the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine in Cripple Creek on Thursday, according to officials.

The deceased victim was identified Friday as Patrick Weier, 46, who was one of the tour guides at the mine, Teller Counter Sheriff Jason Mikesell said.

"This is a county tragedy. This is a Colorado tragedy," Teller County Commissioner Dan Williams said at a press briefing on Friday.

Mikesell said he does not know exactly what occurred, but believes Weier "was attempting to make everybody safe" during the incident.

"All I know is that he was a good man, and he loved his job," Mikesell said at a press briefing on Friday.

Weier is survived by a 7-year-old, Mikesell said.

The incident involving the elevator occurred around noon MDT Thursday at about 500 feet below ground, Mikesell said.

Eleven people on the elevator were initially brought out of the mine, including Weier and two children, officials said. Twelve others, as well as another guide, who were already on a tour were rescued after being trapped for six hours at the 1,000-foot level, officials said.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation, Mikesell said.

"We know that at 500 feet is where the issue occurred. We know that there was some type of an incident with the doors, and at that point, something went wrong," Mikesell said. "We don't know what caused that."

Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Mine Safety will investigate the incident.

The death was related to the mechanical issue, not a health issue, Mikesell said.

Local hospital UCHealth said they had received seven patients from the incident, all of whom have since been treated and released.

To rescue the 12 individuals and tour guide still stuck at 1,000 feet, engineers had to repair the elevator stuck at 500 feet, check the cables and then run a test round by sending it down to the 1000-foot level and back up, officials said.

The owner of the mine rode with inspectors to confirm the elevator could go down safely, while the owner's son operated the hoist system to lower it, according to Mikesell.

"Without their help, we may not have been able to get people up out of there," Mikesell said, calling them "heroes."

After the test was successful, they were able to bring up the trapped adults four at a time, Mikesell said.

As the individuals were stuck, there was no concern about oxygen running out, Mikesell said, adding that they had water, chairs and blankets and were able to communicate with rescuers.

None of the people stuck at 1,000 feet were aware of what was happening and thought it "was a simple elevator issue," Mikesell said. They were briefed on the fatality once rescued, he said.

The mine, which is about 1,000 feet deep, is a popular tourist destination. There hasn't been an incident like this there since 1986, Mikesell said.

"The owner of this mine, and the family that have been behind this mine for many, many years, have done a great job of making everything safe," Mikesell said. "They put thousands of people down this mine for tours and with very, very low safety concerns. But in any time you're dealing with heavy machinery ... in a mine, there could be accidents. And this was a tragic accident."

Multiple agencies, including search and rescue teams, responded to the incident with heavy equipment.

Mikesell said they received calls from senators, the governor of Colorado and the White House regarding the incident.

Amid the rescue effort, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said he was monitoring the situation and sending state resources to assist.

"I am relieved that 12 of the people trapped in the Mollie Kathleen Mine have been safely rescued," Polis said in a statement Thursday night. "Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the individual lost in this incident."