Denver, Oct 12, (AP): Investigators on Friday were trying to figure out what led to an elevator accident inside a former Colorado gold mine that killed a tour guide, injured four others and left 12 people trapped for hours at the bottom of the tourist attraction 1,000 feet (305 meters) beneath the surface. The elevator was descending into the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine near the town of Cripple Creek in the mountains near Colorado Springs on Thursday when the door malfunctioned around 500 feet (152 meters) beneath the surface, Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said.

Victim Patrick Weier, 46, was a guide at the mine and a father from the nearby town of Victor, Colorado. The exact circumstances of his death were not disclosed, but the sheriff said he died because of the elevator's mechanical issue and not due to a medical issue. Eleven other people, including two children, who were riding the elevator during the mishap were brought up with it following the accident.

Four had minor injuries including back pain, neck pain and arm pain, the sheriff said. Twelve adults from a second group were trapped for about six hours Thursday below ground while engineers made sure the elevator could be used. The group had access to water and used radios to communicate with authorities, who told them there was an elevator issue, Mikesell said. They were hoisted up in groups of four over 30 minutes. Officials had been prepared to bring them up by rope if necessary.

Most people who were in the elevator when it malfunctioned were later taken to a local relief center where some got showers, new clothes and sandwiches, said Ted Borden, with the Community of Caring Foundation in Cripple Creek. "It was still very raw, but there was some good camaraderie,” Borden said.