Authorities say an incident involving an elevator at a former Colorado gold mine that led to the death of a tour guide and trapped a group of tourists for hours last year was caused by “operator error.

The Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine elevator breakdown was “not attributed to current mine practices or equipment malfunctions,” sheriff’s officials said.

Investigators determined that the incident at the Colorado tourist mine was "not attributed to current mine practices or equipment malfunctions."

October’s deadly elevator malfunction at a Colorado gold mine that trapped 23 people and killed one was caused by an “operator error,” according to a Wednesday Facebook post from the Teller County Sheriff’s Office.

TELLER COUNTY, Colo. — An accident at a tourist gold mine in Cripple Creek that killed a man and left more than a dozen people trapped underground was the result of operator error, the Teller County Sheriff's Office said on Wednesday. The sheriff's office said the case is now closed.

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