Early reports indicated more than a dozen workers were trapped when an industrial tunnel collapsed in Wilmington.
WILMINGTON, CA — Nearly three dozen workers were rescued Wednesday night after an industrial tunnel collapsed in Wilmington, according to authorities.
The collapse of the tunnel, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department, happened about six miles from 1701 N. Figueroa St. around 8 p.m.
The cave-in appears to have occurred between the tunnel boring machine 5 miles (8 kilometers) in from the sole entrance and the construction workers who were working 6 miles (9.6 kilometers) in, said Michael Chee, spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, which is in charge of the nearly $700 million project. The workers were about 400 feet (121 meters) underground.
It's unclear exactly what caused the tunnel to collapse. Early reports indicated at least 15 workers had been trapped, but the LAFD said 31 people were "safely removed from the tunnel alive without visible injury."
Authorities say the trapped workers were able to scramble over a pile of loose soil, more than a dozen feet tall, to meet coworkers who were on the other side of the collapse, according to the LAFD. They were then shuttled using a tunnel vehicle to the entry point at 1701 N. Figueroa St.
Arally Orozco said she was at church when her phone started buzzing with calls and then her son texted her the news of the tunnel where her three brothers worked.
“It was sad and scary,” she said in Spanish. “We feared the worst.”
After an hour, she managed to get through to one brother who told her they had to squeeze through a tight space to get out.
“My brother was crying,” she said. “He told me he thought he was going to die underground.”
It appears nobody is missing; however, the precise number of workers trapped behind the collapse has yet to be confirmed, according to the LAFD.
No injuries have been confirmed, but 27 of the 31 workers are currently being evaluated, according to the LAFD.
The tunnel is part of an ongoing sanitation project that is expected to finish by 2027. The tunnel, which is meant to convey water to the ocean, will connect from Carson to Royal Palms Beach in San Pedro.
The tunnel is being constructed almost entirely underneath public right-of-way. The structure is 18 feet (5.5 meters) wide and will be 7 miles (11.3 kilometers) long to carry treated wastewater from across Los Angeles County to the Pacific Ocean.
Work will not resume until the project contractor assesses what happened and deems the site safe, authorities said.
LA City Councilmember Tim McOsker praised the workers for keeping cool heads.
“This is a highly technical, difficult project. And they knew exactly what to do. They knew how to secure themselves,” he said. “Thank goodness for the good people that were down in the tunnel.”
Mayor Karen Bass said at a news conference that she met with some of the workers.
“I know when we raced down here I was so concerned that we were going to find tragedy. Instead, what we found was victory," Bass said. "All of the men that were in that tunnel, rescued, up, safe.”
This is a breaking news story; it will be updated.