At least 31 workers were safely rescued after a tunnel collapsed in a large industrial complex in Los Angeles on Wednesday evening, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The collapse took place at the "18-foot diameter tunnel, being constructed for municipal wastewater management, occurred at an underground (undetermined depth) horizontal excavation site about 5 to 6 miles south of the sole entry/rescue access portal," LAFD said.
The trapped workers were able to "scramble with some effort" over a 12-15 foot tall pile of loose soil, to meet several coworkers on the other side of the collapse, and be shuttled several at a time by tunnel vehicle to the entry/access point more than five miles away, according to preliminary reports.
"Tonight, we were lucky," LAFD Interim Chief Ronnie Villanueva told reporters during a press conference.
Mayor Karen Bass also attended the press conference, telling journalists, "We're all blessed today in Los Angeles. No one injured. Everyone safe, and I am feeling very, very good, that this is a great outcome. And what started as a very scary evening."
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