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13h ago

All 31 Workers Rescued Uninjured After Wilmington Tunnel Collapse

A rapid, one-hour operation by more than 100 LAFD responders freed all trapped workers; tunneling has since been paused pending a formal investigation into the collapse.

Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) firefighters are seen at the site of an industrial tunnel collapse in the Wilmington neighborhood of Los Angeles on July 9, 2025. 31 workers were safely removed from the tunnel without visible injuries, the LAFD said on July 9.
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Overview

  • An 18-foot-diameter section of the Los Angeles Effluent Outfall Tunnel gave way about five to six miles from its sole shaft and roughly 400 feet below ground.
  • Over 100 Los Angeles Fire Department personnel, including Urban Search and Rescue teams, used a crane-mounted elevator system to hoist the crew to safety in groups.
  • Trapped workers climbed over a 12- to 15-foot mound of loose soil to reach colleagues on the far side of the collapse before riding a tunnel vehicle back to the shaft.
  • No visible injuries were reported and paramedics evaluated all 31 workers on site following their extraction.
  • The LA County Sanitation District has halted work on the $630.5 million wastewater tunnel and opened a formal probe into the structural failure.