At least 31 workers were safely rescued after a tunnel collapsed in a large industrial complex in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The collapse took place in the “18 feet tunnel in diameter, which was built for municipal wastewater management, occurred in a underground horizontal excavation site (indeterminate depth) about 5 to 6 miles south of the only entry/rescue access portal,” said LaFD.
The trapped workers were able to “fight with a little effort” on a pile of loose ground 12-15 feet high, to meet several co-workers on the other side of the collapse, and be transferred several at the same time by a tunnel vehicle to the entrance point/access to more than five miles away, according to preliminary reports.
LAFD tries to rescue at least 15 workers in the Los Angeles neighborhood.
Kabc
More than 100 LaFD responders responded to the scene, including members of the LFD Urban’s search and rescue team, “especially trained, certified and equipped to handle the rescue of confined space tunnels,” according to the department.
The workers were taken from the tunnel area in a cage raised by a crane; It was not clear immediately if that is the normal way to enter and leave the tunnel project or due to the rescue.
They came out about eight workers at the same time in the cage, and many seemed good.
According to the Fire Department, at least 27 of the workers are being evaluated by the paramedics on the scene, but all left without visible injuries, according to the Fire Department.
This tunnel is scheduled to finish in 2027, according to ABC News affiliate, Kabc.
The mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, arrived on the scene and thanked the lifeguards.
“I just talked to many of the workers who were trapped. Thanks to all our brave lifeguards who acted immediately. You are the true heroes of Los Angeles,” Bass said in X.
