Thirty-one construction workers pulled off a dramatic escape from a crumbling underground tunnel without suffering any injuries. The crew scrambled over massive heaps of loose dirt and debris after the industrial passage gave way beneath Los Angeles. Fire department officials rushed to the scene as the men worked their way through the damaged section toward safety. Workers had to claw their way past fallen earth and twisted metal to reach their colleagues waiting in the undamaged area. The entire group then made the long trek back to the tunnel entrance more than eight kilometers away.
The massive concrete tube measured 5.5 meters across before it buckled under pressure from shifting ground conditions. Twenty-seven men found themselves trapped when the ceiling came down while four brave souls ventured into the danger zone to help with the rescue operation. Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva described how the workers had to climb through piles of rubble to make their escape. The collapse happened during construction of an ambitious 11-kilometer sewage tunnel designed to upgrade the regional waste system. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass personally spoke with the rescued workers and praised the quick response from emergency crews who rushed to the Wilmington area disaster site.
The massive concrete tube measured 5.5 meters across before it buckled under pressure from shifting ground conditions. Twenty-seven men found themselves trapped when the ceiling came down while four brave souls ventured into the danger zone to help with the rescue operation. Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva described how the workers had to climb through piles of rubble to make their escape. The collapse happened during construction of an ambitious 11-kilometer sewage tunnel designed to upgrade the regional waste system. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass personally spoke with the rescued workers and praised the quick response from emergency crews who rushed to the Wilmington area disaster site.
