Colorado gold mine where tour guide was killed and trapped tourists shut down by regulators

DENVER – A former Colorado gold mine, where a tour guide was killed and a group of tourists stranded for hours after an elevator accident, has been ordered to remain closed and not conduct tours while its operations are being examined, state regulators announced Thursday.

In a statement, the Reclamation, Mines and Safety Division said the decision to close the Mollie Kathleen mine was made following an inspection carried out after the October 10 incident. The agency must determine whether the death of Patrick Weier, 46, was caused by the mine’s failure to comply with regulations, division spokesman Chris Arend said.

The official notice sent to the mine Wednesday cited a regulation that allows the division to close a mine used as a tourist attraction if it finds “imminent or significant danger” to workers or the public. The mine was already scheduled to close for the winter starting this week.

No one answered the phone at the mine Thursday. Its website says it will be closed until further notice.

Authorities have not said exactly how Weier died, but Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said his death was related to a mechanical problem with the elevator and not a medical issue.

Before the incident, the mine’s inspection records were “satisfactory” and showed no safety issues, the mining division said in announcing the closure. The mine was last inspected by the state on Aug. 29, but it was responsible for conducting daily inspections, the agency said.

The Mollie Kathleen is the only tourist mine with an elevator used by the public, the division said.

He was descending into the mine in the mountains near Colorado Springs when, about 500 feet down, the person operating the elevator from the surface “smelled something strange” and stopped him, Mikesell said.

Eleven other people, including two children, who were riding the elevator during the accident were taken with him after the accident.

Twelve adults from a second group were trapped at the bottom of the mine, 305 meters underground, while engineers ensured the elevator could be used. The group had access to water and used radios to communicate with authorities, who told them there was a problem with the elevator, Mikesell said.

The incident remains under investigation by Mikesell’s office and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Labor, the mining division said. In a statement, the Labor Department said the agency had six months to complete its investigation and would not discuss details of an ongoing inspection.

The mining division said it was also ready to assist in investigations.