31 Construction Workers Escape L.A. Wastewater Tunnel Collapse

The partial cave-in brought down a 12- to 15-foot-tall pile of loose soil and debris in the massive wastewater tunnel project.

Jul 10, 2025 - 09:10

31 Construction Workers Escape L.A. Wastewater Tunnel Collapse

Thirty-one construction workers escaped uninjured from a partial collapse at a massive wastewater tunnel project in Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The Fire Department got a report at about 8 p.m. July 9 that workers were stranded at the Los Angeles Effluent Outfall Tunnel Project, designed to be a 7-mile, 18-foot-diameter wastewater tunnel in the Wilmington neighborhood.

According to the department, all the stranded workers scrambled to safety one at a time across a large section of piled soil and debris, helped by coworkers, before LAFD rescuers arrived. “Colleagues then ferried them more than five miles in a tunnel transport vehicle to the safety of the access portal,” LAFD says. “A total of 31 uninjured workers from throughout the tunnel system were brought to safely by their colleagues.”

None of the workers had visible injuries or any medical complaints, the department said. They were examined by LAFD paramedics and released at the scene.

The partial collapse of the tunnel brought down “a 12- to 15-foot-tall pile of loose soil and debris into a large but undetermined length of the solitary passageway,” the fire department reports.

This is a developing story. Stay tuned for updates.