Latest news with #ArallyOrozco
The Guardian
11-07-2025
- General
- The Guardian
‘We feared the worst': 31 construction workers rescued after LA tunnel collapse
Thirty-one construction workers 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 appears to have occurred between the tunnel boring machine 5 miles (8km) in from the sole entrance and the construction workers who were working 6 miles in, said Michael Chee, spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, which is in charge of the nearly $700m project. The workers were about 400ft (121 meters) underground. Authorities were still investigating the cause, Chee said. The workers scrambled over loose soil more than 12ft high to reach the tunnel boring machine and then were transported back to the opening. Aerial footage showed workers being brought out of the tunnel in a yellow cage hoisted up by a crane. None of those rescued had major injuries, authorities said. Arally Orozco said she was at church when her phone started buzzing with calls and then her son texted her the news of the tunnel where her three brothers worked. 'It was sad and scary,' she said in Spanish. 'We feared the worst.' 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.' LA 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.' The 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.' The tunnel is being constructed almost entirely underneath public right-of-way. The structure is 18ft wide and will be 7 miles long to carry treated wastewater from across Los Angeles county to the Pacific Ocean. Work will not resume until the project contractor assesses what happened and deems the site safe, authorities said.
Mint
10-07-2025
- General
- Mint
Miracle! All 31 workers rescued in Los Angeles tunnel collapse
Thirty-one construction workers miraculously escaped a collapsed tunnel in Los Angeles Wednesday night after climbing over a 12-foot mountain of debris. Trapped 400 feet underground and six miles from the only exit, the men scrambled through loose soil caused by 'squeezing ground', a dangerous soil deformation that partially collapsed a newly built section. Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva praised their courage, saying that the workers made it through the most treacherous part themselves before rescue teams drove them to safety via tunnel vehicles. Aerial footage showed workers being hoisted in yellow cages as families wept with relief below. Remarkably, no one suffered major injuries despite the terrifying cave-in. Arally Orozco was at church when her son texted that the tunnel housing her three brothers had collapsed. 'It was sad and scary. We feared the worst,' she shared. After an agonizing hour, her brother called crying: 'He told me he thought he was going to die underground' after squeezing through tight spaces to escape. At the scene, Mayor Karen Bass embraced rescued workers, calling the outcome 'a victory' after racing there expecting tragedy. Supervisor Janice Hahn noted the workers were 'shaken up' but relieved, immediately calling loved ones upon surfacing. The sanitation district's $700 million project, critical for replacing earthquake-vulnerable wastewater tunnels, is now paused indefinitely. The 18-foot-wide tunnel, part of LA's Clearwater Project, stretches beneath Wilmington's industrial zone near oil refineries. Engineers confirm the 400-foot depth near the shoreline created 'very wet conditions,' demanding specialized designs for water pressure. The new tunnel aims to replace 60- and 80-year-old wastewater pipes at risk of earthquakes, serving over five million residents. Water pressure risks: Coastal depth added complexity, requiring designs for both soil and water pressure "Squeezing ground" failure: Soil instability caused the collapse near the boring machine Months-long probe: Investigators must first stabilize the tunnel before finding 'the first element that broke", as per reports.
The Guardian
10-07-2025
- General
- The Guardian
‘We feared the worst': 31 construction workers rescued after LA tunnel collapse
Thirty-one construction workers 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 appears to have occurred between the tunnel boring machine 5 miles (8km) in from the sole entrance and the construction workers who were working 6 miles in, said Michael Chee, spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, which is in charge of the nearly $700m project. The workers were about 400ft (121 meters) underground. Authorities were still investigating the cause, Chee said. The workers scrambled over loose soil more than 12ft high to reach the tunnel boring machine and then were transported back to the opening. Aerial footage showed workers being brought out of the tunnel in a yellow cage hoisted up by a crane. None of those rescued had major injuries, authorities said. Arally Orozco said she was at church when her phone started buzzing with calls and then her son texted her the news of the tunnel where her three brothers worked. 'It was sad and scary,' she said in Spanish. 'We feared the worst.' 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.' LA 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.' The 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.' The tunnel is being constructed almost entirely underneath public right-of-way. The structure is 18ft wide and will be 7 miles long to carry treated wastewater from across Los Angeles county to the Pacific Ocean. Work will not resume until the project contractor assesses what happened and deems the site safe, authorities said.
South China Morning Post
10-07-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
31 construction workers rescued from Los Angeles tunnel collapse: ‘we feared the worst'
Thirty-one construction workers inside a huge industrial tunnel in Los Angeles made it to safety after a portion of it collapsed on Wednesday evening, an outcome officials called a blessing after they initially feared much worse. The cave-in appears to have occurred between the tunnel boring machine 8km (5 miles) in from the sole entrance and the construction workers who were working 9.6km (6 miles) 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 120 metres (400 feet) underground. Authorities were still investigating the cause, Chee said. The workers scrambled over loose soil more than 3.6 metres (12 feet) high to reach the tunnel boring machine, and then were transported back to the opening. Aerial footage showed workers being brought out of the tunnel in a yellow cage hoisted up by a crane. None of those rescued had major injuries, authorities said. Arally Orozco said she was at church when her phone started buzzing with calls, and then her son texted her the news of the tunnel where her three brothers worked. 'It was sad and scary,' she said in Spanish. 'We feared the worst.'
