Latest news with #industrialworkers
Washington Post
10-07-2025
- General
- Washington Post
27 workers rescued after tunnel collapse in Los Angeles
Twenty-seven industrial workers were rescued from a collapsed municipal wastewater management tunnel that was under construction in Los Angeles on Wednesday evening, the city's fire department said. No visible injuries were reported. More than 100 emergency responders scrambled to join in the rescue effort, with the Los Angeles Fire Department first alerting that it was responding to the collapse about 7:58 p.m. local time. Four workers at the scene voluntarily entered the tunnel to help their trapped co-workers after the collapse, which was caused by a 'structure failure' in the tunnel, LAFD interim fire chief Ronnie Villanueva said at a news conference overnight. He added that medical evaluations of all 31 people recovered from the tunnel were ongoing. 'We were very lucky this time,' Villanueva said. He added, 'The workers had to climb through debris. … Rescuers actually came to them to assist them out.' Live video footage aired by local broadcasters showed dozens of people in yellow and orange uniforms crowded around an industrial site with a large, circular hole carved out of the ground. Several fire trucks were parked along the perimeter, their lights flashing against the night sky, as a crane appeared to raise and lower a lift over the tunnel opening. The tunnel, located in the southern Los Angeles neighborhood of Wilmington, measured 18 feet in diameter and collapsed about 5 to 6 miles south of the sole entry or access point, the LAFD said. It was being built as part of a broader project to modernize wastewater infrastructure and protect the environment, Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-California) said at the news conference. She added that some of the workers were shaken up by the incident. 'We must never forget that these large infrastructure projects require workers that take great risk,' she said. '… Let's not just be thankful tonight, but recommit ourselves to making sure that we have conditions that are safe for our workers at all times.' Earlier in the evening, the LAFD said preliminary reports suggested that the trapped workers were able to scramble over a roughly 12- to 15-foot pile of loose soil to reach several co-workers on the other side of the collapse. They then took turns riding a tunnel vehicle to the entry point more than five miles away. During the rescue efforts, the LAFD had requested that all media helicopters stay at least a mile from the site of the collapse, warning that excessive noise from aircraft was interfering with face-to-face and radio communications. 'I know when we raced down here, I was so concerned that we were going to find tragedy. Instead, what we found was victory,' L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said at the news conference. 'We're all blessed today in Los Angeles,' she added. 'No one injured, everyone safe, and I am feeling very, very good that this is a great outcome in what started as a very scary evening.'
RNZ News
10-07-2025
- General
- RNZ News
About 31 trapped in Los Angeles after industrial tunnel collapse, fire department says
Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) firefighters are seen at the site of an industrial tunnel collapse in the Wilmington neighborhood of Los Angeles. Photo: PATRICK T. FALLON / AFP All 31 workers have been rescued after an industrial tunnel collapsed in Los Angeles' Wilmington area, city officials said late on Wednesday (PDT). The tunnel that collapsed had a diameter of 18 ft (5.5 metres) and was being constructed for municipal wastewater management, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) said in a statement. "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 collapse happened about six miles (10 km) south of the tunnel's only access, LAFD said, adding that more than 100 responders were assigned to the incident. EMERGING : At least 28 people were inside a tunnel that collapsed in the Wilmington area of Los Angeles, California, with at least 15 of them trapped, according to CBS LA and the fire department. - Reuters
