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Global News
10-07-2025
- General
- Global News
All 31 workers make it out safely after Los Angeles tunnel collapse
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. — 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.
ARN News Center
10-07-2025
- Climate
- ARN News Center
All 31 workers escape uninjured after tunnel collapse in Los Angeles, officials say
All 31 workers escaped without injuries from a collapsed industrial tunnel in Los Angeles' Wilmington area, after scrambling over a tall pile of loose underground soil, city officials said late on Wednesday. The trapped workers were shuttled back to the tunnel's entry point, more than 8 km away from the affected area, after they escaped the collapsed section and met several coworkers in the unaffected part of the tunnel, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a statement. The tunnel, which had a diameter of 5.5 m, trapped 27 individuals, while four workers entered the damaged section to assist with rescue, LA Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva told reporters in a media briefing. "The workers had to climb through debris. They had to make themselves out through," before they were assisted out, Villanueva said. Robert Ferrante, chief engineer and general manager of Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, told the briefing that a section of the already built part of the tunnel experienced squeezing ground conditions and partially collapsed. "LAFD has just reported that all workers who were trapped in the tunnel in Wilmington are now out and accounted for. I just spoke with many of the workers who were trapped. Thank you to all of our brave first responders who acted immediately," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a post on X. The collapsed section was a part of the Los Angeles County's Clearwater Project, where the new 7-mile tunnel is being built to upgrade the region's sewer system, officials added.
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.'
New Straits Times
10-07-2025
- General
- New Straits Times
All 31 workers escape uninjured after tunnel collapse in Los Angeles, say officials
UPDATE 3-All 31 workers escape uninjured after tunnel collapse in Los Angeles, officials say (Updates with fire department statement in paragraphs 1 and 2, details from media briefing in paragraphs 4-6 and 8) By Gnaneshwar Rajan and Shubham Kalia July 9 (Reuters) - All 31 workers escaped without injuries from a collapsed industrial tunnel in Los Angeles' Wilmington area, after scrambling over a tall pile of loose underground soil, city officials said late on Wednesday. The trapped workers were shuttled back to the tunnel's entry point, more than 5 miles (8 km) away from the affected area, after they escaped the collapsed section and met several coworkers in the unaffected part of the tunnel, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a statement. The tunnel, which had a diameter of 18 ft (5.5 m), trapped 27 individuals, while four workers entered the damaged section to assist with rescue, LA Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva told reporters in a media briefing. "The workers had to climb through debris. They had to make themselves out through," before they were assisted out, Villanueva said. Robert Ferrante, chief engineer and general manager of Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, told the briefing that a section of the already built part of the tunnel experienced squeezing ground conditions and partially collapsed. "LAFD has just reported that all workers who were trapped in the tunnel in Wilmington are now out and accounted for. I just spoke with many of the workers who were trapped. Thank you to all of our brave first responders who acted immediately," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a post on X. The collapsed section was a part of the Los Angeles County's Clearwater Project, where the new 7-mile tunnel is being built to upgrade the region's sewer system, officials added. (Reporting by Gnaneshwar Rajan and Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Surbhi Misra; Editing by Jacqueline Wong, Kim Coghill, Jamie Freed and Tomasz Janowski)
CTV News
10-07-2025
- General
- CTV News
31 construction workers reach safety after partial collapse of Los Angeles industrial tunnel
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. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) LOS ANGELES — 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 (8 kilometres) in from the sole entrance and the construction workers who were 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. Authorities were still investigating the cause, Chee said. The workers scrambled over loose soil more than 12 feet (19.3 metres) 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 Councilmember 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.' 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 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. Work will not resume until the project contractor assesses what happened and deems the site safe, authorities said. Damian Dovarganes And Julie Watson, The Associated Press
