Twenty-seven workers in Los Angeles were miraculously rescued on Wednesday evening after the partial collapse of a sanitation tunnel under construction left them trapped deep underground. More than 100 Fire Department personnel, including specialist confined-spaces teams, rushed to the scene in Wilmington County to conduct the daring rescue while terrified coworkers and family members waited anxiously above ground. The 27 workers, who were later joined by an additional four people who entered the tunnel to help, were stranded 400 feet underground and five miles from an access point when an avalanche of loose soil and debris blocked the only entrance. They were able to escape after a small gap in the debris allowed them to climb through the damaged sections to safety. They were met by Mayor Karen Bass, who praised the first responders as “L.A. ‘s true heroes” and confirmed on X that all the trapped workers were accounted for. Supervisor Janice Hahn described emotional scenes as the workers emerged from the underground “alive and happy,” but also “all shaken up” from the traumatic experience. “Tonight, we were lucky,” Fire chief Ronnie Villanueva told reporters at a press conference, while chief engineer Robert Ferrante said the experience was “very scary” and “we are very fortunate no one was hurt.” Work on the $500 million sanitation project has been paused for the foreseeable future.
LAFD has just reported that all workers who were trapped in the tunnel in Wilmington are now out and accounted for.
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) July 10, 2025
I just spoke with many of the workers who were trapped. Thank you to all of our brave first responders who acted immediately. You are L.A.'s true heroes. pic.twitter.com/6hdAwbH1MI
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