Tunnel collapse in Los Angeles: All 31 workers rescued, confirms fire dept

Wilmington tunnel collapse: Rescue teams shuttle trapped workers through a 9-km tunnel stretch; paramedics assess 27 individuals

All 31 workers trapped after a portion of an industrial tunnel under construction collapsed in Los Angeles on Thursday have been safely brought out, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) confirmed in an update on Thursday.

 

The collapse occurred around 8 to 9.7 kilometres from the tunnel’s sole entrance in an industrial area of the city. The 18-foot-wide tunnel is being built to eventually carry wastewater, LAFD said.

 

Aerial footage aired by local television showed workers being lifted through the tunnel entrance late Wednesday. Some of the workers managed to scramble over a 12 to 15-foot mound of loose soil created by the collapse, reaching colleagues on the other side. From there, rescue teams used tunnel vehicles to shuttle them out in small groups.

 

As a precaution, paramedics are evaluating 27 of the rescued workers, though no serious injuries have been reported so far.

 

The response operation involved over 100 LAFD personnel, including units trained in confined-space rescues. The department had earlier said up to 15 workers might have been trapped when the collapse was first reported. 

The workers had been operating a tunnel boring machine when a section of the completed tunnel experienced what officials described as “squeezing ground,” leading to a partial collapse, according to a report by NBC News. 

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who visited the scene, praised the emergency teams for their swift response. “I was so concerned that we were going to find tragedy. Instead, what we found was victory,” she said, calling the first responders “LA’s true heroes.”

 

Officials have not yet disclosed the cause of the incident.

 

(With inputs from the Associated Press)