A partial collapse of an industrial tunnel in Los Angeles trapped over 30 construction workers Wednesday night.

The incident happened in the Wilmington neighborhood shortly after 8 p.m.

At the time, workers were 300-400 feet beneath the surface approximately six miles from the tunnel’s only access point.

The collapse forced workers to scramble for safety.

“More than 100 L.A. Fire Department personnel were dispatched after reports of the accident, including search and rescue teams specially trained and equipped to handle confined-space tunnel rescues,” the Los Angeles Times noted.

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Watch footage from the scene below:

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All of the workers were able to safely make it out of the tunnel, which is six miles long and 400 feet underground.

“We are all blessed today in Los Angeles, no one injured, everyone safe,” said L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, who met with the rescued workers. “I am feeling very good that this is a great outcome to what started as a very scary evening.”

The workers were in an 18-foot-diameter tunnel more than five miles from the Wilmington access point when the partial collapse occurred, said interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva at a news conference late Wednesday.

There were 27 men inside the tunnel at the time of the collapse, according to Robert Ferrante, chief engineer for the L.A. County Sanitation Districts. Four others then entered in an attempt to assist their fellow workers.

The debris did not completely fill the tunnel, and the men were able to climb back through the area where the collapse took place.

Watch additional footage from the rescue efforts:

“Everyone is safe. Thank you to L.A.’s first responders and to the people throughout our city who work every day to make L.A. better,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass wrote.

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Fox News noted:

Bass praised first responders as Los Angeles’ “true heroes.”

LA City Councilmember Tim McOsker praised the workers for keeping cool heads.

“This is a highly technical, difficult project. And they knew exactly what to do. They knew how to secure themselves,” he said. “Thank goodness for the good people that were down in the tunnel.”

The tunnel, being constructed almost entirely underneath public right-of-way, is 18 feet wide and will be 7 miles long to carry treated wastewater from across Los Angeles County to the Pacific Ocean.

The $700 million project is being overseen by the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts.

The cause of the collapse is under investigation. Authorities said work will not resume until the project contractor assesses what happened and deems the site safe.

 

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