The Los Angeles Fire Department have successfully rescued 31 workers trapped in a Wilmington tunnel after it collapsed.
The construction workers inside the underground tunnel were rescued roughly an hour after the collapse, according to L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who represents the area.
None of the 31 construction workers trapped in the tunnel sustained visible injuries, according to LAFD. Firefighters said construction workers climbed over a roughly 12 to 15-foot pile of dirt to escape.
Firefighters said the collapse happened as many as six miles away from the sole access point of the tunnel.
LAFD has just reported that all workers who were trapped in the tunnel in Wilmington are now out and accounted for.
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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
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) July 10, 2025
More than 100 LAFD responders were deployed, including Urban Search and Rescue teams.
The collapse happened near the intersection of South Figueroa Street and Q Street which is part of the Los Angeles County Sanitation District’s Clearwater Project.
Flatiron Dragados, the project’s primary contractor, stated on its website that the tunnel is 7 miles long, approximately 18 feet wide, and 450 feet underground. According to the firm, the new project will allow staff to restore outdated wastewater management tunnels built between 1937 and 1958.
According to records from the Los Angeles County Sanitation Department dated July 2024, crews were projected to complete the tunneling portion of the project by April 2025. The county staff hoped to finish the project by 2027 and open the new tunnel in January 2028.
