‘We were blissfully unaware:’ Woman trapped underground in Colorado tourist mine says group didn’t panic during ordeal

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV/Gray news) - A woman who was part of the group trapped underground following an elevator malfunction at a Colorado tour mine says law enforcement did well to keep them from panicking.

Rhonda Pulse was visiting Colorado from Missouri when she decided to do the underground tour at the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine. She boarded the elevator and headed down into the mine around 10:30 a.m. with 10 other people and a tour guide.

When the elevator did not come back down to pick up the group of tourists, Pulse realized something was not right.

An elevator descending into the mine experienced a door malfunction. One person was killed, and four others were injured.

“I am really pleased with the way the Teller County Sheriff’s Department handled things," Pulse said. “They could’ve told us, but that would’ve just caused panic. There’s no need. There was nothing we can do about it."

Pulse, along with the rest of the group, was trapped 1,000 feet underground for hours.

“We were inconvenienced. We were uncomfortable,” Pulse said. “We were blissfully unaware. We got hungry. We got kind of cold.”

Pulse said that despite being trapped, the group never visibly panicked.

“It was uncomfortable, but we were never panicked or afraid,” she said. “At least, no one ever visibly said, ‘Are we ever going to get out of here?’ or ‘Can we get out?’ type of thing.”

Her group was eventually, along with the group of eleven others who were inside the elevator at the time of the mishap.

Pulse said she is extremely thankful for those who helped keep her safe.

”We were so grateful for the first responders, for the county, and even the state government, the mining commission, and the company itself. All that they did to make sure that we were safe,” Pulse said.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is leading the investigation into what happened.

The mine will stay closed while the investigation is underway.

Copyright 2024 KKTV via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.