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

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,” authorities said Wednesday.

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.

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