Two sisters fall into Arizona mine shaft

1 dead, one injured
PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) - A 13-year-old girl who fell into a brush-covered mine shaft while riding an all-terrain vehicle was found dead at the bottom Sunday, and her 10-year-old sister was rescued with serious injuries, authorities said.The girls, 13-year-old Rikki Howard and 10-year-old Casie Hicks, were out for a holiday weekend ride around 7 p.m. (10 p.m. ET) Saturday when their father, who was riding ahead of them on a dirt bike, noticed the girls were missing.

"They were driving along and they went into the mine. It was a total accident," Mohave County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Sandy Edwards said.

The mine, believed to be inactive, is located in Chloride, Arizona, about 17 miles north of Kingman. It was next to a dirt road, concealed by brush and had no signs or barriers.

Sheriff's personnel searched throughout the night, but they weren't able to follow the ATV's tracks into the 125-foot mine shaft until 6:20 a.m. (9:20 a.m. ET) Sunday. The team walked by the site overnight because the hole was covered, she said.

When the entrance was discovered, the father called out and one of the girls answered, officials said. Crews later rappelled into the mine and found the girls and the vehicle at the bottom. The 10-year-old girl was transported to University Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, Edwards said. She was in critical condition Sunday afternoon, a hospital spokesman said. The family declined to comment through the hospital.

Seth Johnson, a neighbor of the girls and their family's landlord, said the two were half-sisters. Their family was at the Las Vegas hospital, he said.

"It's an awful shock," Johnson said. "Their parents are very distraught."