It started as an ordinary workday—until the ground gave way beneath them. In the Los Angeles suburb of Wilmington, California, a tunnel collapse has left nearly 30 workers trapped underground, triggering a massive and urgent rescue operation.
According to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), the incident occurred near the intersection of West Lomita Boulevard and South Figueroa Street. What began with reports of 15 individuals stuck quickly escalated, with updated figures suggesting as many as 28 workers may be caught inside the collapsed industrial tunnel.
“No injuries have been confirmed yet, but our priority is reaching those who are trapped,” said an LAFD spokesperson. “Time is of the essence.”
The tunnel’s exact dimensions and the cause of the structural failure remain unclear, but what is known is chilling: the only access point to the tunnel lies roughly six miles away from where the workers are believed to be located. That’s the distance emergency teams must navigate through a partially collapsed and potentially unstable environment.
A specialized Urban Search and Rescue task force, comprised of more than 100 responders trained in confined space rescues, is now on site. Video footage from the scene shows firefighters, engineers, and rescue crews swarming the area with equipment and urgency.
This collapse has reignited long-standing concerns about worker safety in industrial infrastructure projects, especially those involving underground construction. While collapses like this are rare, their consequences can be catastrophic.
For now, the families of those trapped can only wait. As emergency crews work tirelessly, the hope remains that those inside the tunnel will be found alive — and soon.
