Emergency crews responded Tuesday to a tunnel collapse in Wilmington, Los Angeles, that left 31 construction workers temporarily trapped underground.
The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) mobilized a large-scale response to the site, managing to rescue all the workers within approximately one hour.
L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn confirmed that none of the workers sustained visible injuries during the incident. The collapse occurred as part of a major infrastructure project aimed at modernizing the region’s wastewater system.
Rescue Efforts Mobilized Across the City
Firefighters reported that the trapped workers were able to climb over a 12- to 15-foot pile of dirt to escape the collapsed section of tunnel.
The LAFD deployed all Urban Search and Rescue teams and over 100 responders to the scene on the 1700 block of South Figueroa Street.
According to authorities, the site of the collapse was located as far as six miles from the sole access point to the tunnel, highlighting the scale of the operation. Despite the complex conditions underground, the evacuation was completed without reported injuries.
Mayor Karen Bass wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Thank you to all of our brave first responders who acted immediately. You are L.A.’s true heroes.”
Collapse Tied to $630 Million Public Works Project
The collapse occurred at the Los Angeles Effluent Outfall Tunnel, part of the County Sanitation District’s Clearwater Project. The tunnel is being built by prime contractor Flatiron Dragados.
According to information published on the company’s website, the tunnel is 7 miles long, 18 feet in diameter, and located 450 feet underground. The purpose of the new tunnel is to support repairs of older wastewater tunnels constructed in 1937 and 1958.
Documents from the L.A. County Sanitation Department dated July 2024 indicated that tunneling was expected to be completed by April 2025, with the broader project aimed for completion by 2027 and activation of the new system in January 2028.
