Multiple Workers Rescued from Collapse of Tunnel in Los Angeles

On Wednesday night, thirty-one workers were successfully rescued after a tunnel collapsed during construction in the Wilmington area of Los Angeles. Remarkably, no injuries were reported in the incident, which occurred at a wastewater management project. Los Angeles Fire Department Interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva expressed relief, stating, “Tonight, we were lucky.”

Over 100 firefighters worked tirelessly at the scene to ensure the safety of the workers. The collapse, which took place around 7:58 p.m., involved an 18-foot diameter tunnel located approximately 5 to 6 miles away from the entrance. Helicopter footage captured the incident, showing a large concrete structure leading down to a work area filled with construction equipment.

In the rescue operation, a crane was seen lifting a yellow cage containing some of the trapped workers and safely bringing them to the surface. Initially, twenty-seven workers found themselves trapped, with four others entering the site to assist them. Villanueva noted that many workers had to navigate through debris, scrambling over a 12 to 15-foot pile of loose soil to reach safety.

The workers were in the process of operating a tunnel boring machine when the partial collapse occurred, as explained by Robert Ferrante, chief engineer and general manager for the Los Angeles County Sanitation District. In a visit to the site, Mayor Karen Bass expressed her relief at the outcome and praised the first responders as “L.A.’s true heroes.” She remarked, “I was so concerned that we were going to find tragedy.

Instead, what we found was victory.” Wilmington is situated in the South Bay region, adjacent to the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach, emphasizing its significance to the area.