All 31 workers make it out safely after Los Angeles tunnel collapse

Global News

4 days ago

All 31 construction workers who were far inside a huge industrial tunnel in Los Angeles made it to safety after a portion of it collapsed Wednesday evening, an outcome officials called a blessing after they initially feared much worse.
The cave-in apparently happened between the tunnel boring machine, 5 miles (8 kilometres) in from the only entrance, and the construction crew working 6 miles (9.6 kilometres) in, said Michael Chee, spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, which is in charge of the nearly US$700 million project. The workers were about 400 feet (121 metres) underground.
The tunnel is being constructed almost entirely underneath public right-of-way. The structure is 18 feet (5.5 metres) wide and will be 7 miles (11.3 kilometres) long to carry treated wastewater from across Los Angeles County to the Pacific Ocean.
Firefighters said workers had to climb over 12 to 15 feet (3.6 metres to 4.5 metres) of fallen dirt and debris to reach the tunnel boring machine and then were transported by vehicle back to the opening. Some people had to be pulled out.
Story continues below advertisement
View image in full screen
People work by the entrance of the collapsed tunnel in Wilmington, Los Angeles, California, the United States on July 9, 2025. Thirty-one workers, who were trapped following a tunnel collapse in the Wilmington area of Los Angeles on Wednesday evening, have been rescued, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. Qiu Chen/Xinhua via ZUMA Press
Fire Department Chief Ronnie Villanueva said the workers had to make it through the most treacherous part themselves before rescuers could assist them the rest of the way out.
Get daily National news
Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
Aerial footage showed workers being brought out of the tunnel in a yellow cage hoisted up by a crane. None had major injuries, authorities said.
The workers were operating the boring machine when the collapse occurred, said Robert Ferrante, chief engineer and general manager for the sanitation districts.
'A section that they have already built had squeezing ground and had a collapse, a partial collapse,' he told reporters.
Arally Orozco said she was at church when her phone started buzzing with calls and her son texted her the news of the tunnel where her three brothers worked.
Story continues below advertisement
'It was sad and scary,' she said in Spanish. 'We feared the worst.'
View image in full screen
Maria Orozco hugs her son, Oraldo Orozco, one of her three sons who were trapped as tunnel workers inside a collapsed tunnel under construction for Los Angeles County's Clean Water project, Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in Los Angeles. Damian Dovarganes / The Associated Press
After an hour, she managed to get through to one brother who told her they had to squeeze through a tight space to get out.
'My brother was crying,' she said. 'He told me he thought he was going to die underground.'
The collapse happened under in the Wilmington neighborhood of Los Angeles, a heavily industrial area filled with oil refineries just north of the Port of Los Angeles.
L.A. City Council member Tim McOsker praised the workers for keeping cool heads.
'This is a highly technical, difficult project. And they knew exactly what to do. They knew how to secure themselves,' he said. 'Thank goodness for the good people that were down in the tunnel.'
Story continues below advertisement
Mayor Karen Bass said at a news conference that she met with some of the workers.
'I know when we raced down here I was so concerned that we were going to find tragedy. Instead, what we found was victory,' Bass said. 'All of the men that were in that tunnel, rescued, up, safe.'
Everyone is safe.
Thank you to L.A.'s first responders and to the people throughout our city who work every day to make L.A. better. pic.twitter.com/HFnOdZjVVV
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) July 10, 2025
The cause is under investigation, Chee said. Work will not resume until they can figure out what happened and determine that it's safe to proceed, authorities said.