A miner is speaking out on the harrowing experience when a sanitation tunnel collapsed in Wilmington, momentarily trapping him and 30 of his colleagues.
Oraldo Orozco was one of the 31 miners who were found unharmed Wednesday in what some city officials called a ‘miracle’ rescue mission.
More than 100 firefighters were at the scene just minutes after the collapse was reported, but as it turns out, the workers had no time to wait and were able to rescue themselves, with a little help from their supervisors, according to Orozco.
“I mean, we fought for our lives,” said Orozco, who was about 5 hours into his shift. “The foreman came in running, telling us to evacuate, but we didn’t really know what happened.”
The workers were about six miles into the tunnel below a San Pedro neighborhood when the 18-foot-wide tunnel partially collapsed behind them. The nearest exit, miles away.
Orozco says his first thoughts were “Like, are we going to die here? Is this it?”
The crew acted fast and began their escape.
“The water maybe was about 6 feet already of water. So we had to jump over,” said Orozco. “It was rocks, mud, It was boulders.”
Fire officials say when the loose dirt fell, it was over 15 feet high, leaving the men about a 3-foot escape route.
Orozco captured the moment with a photo that shows workers climbing through the rubble and squeezing through a tight spot. The crew still had about a mile and a half walk to the tram, which would carry the workers to the exit, using yellow cages to lift them above ground.
“It was the longest walk in my life,” said Orozco.
He adds that he had no awareness of the people desperately waiting for news or massive mobilization preparing to rescue the men.
Search and rescue crews were on standby, but in the end, the workers took care of each other and got themselves to the exit. Oraldo gives thanks for the two supervisors who initially ran in to warn them.
“Those are the real heroes that sacrificed their lives for us,” said Orozco.
Workers were brought up in groups of eight using a crane at the construction site. NewsChopper captured workers hugging in relief as they were brought back up to the surface.
The tunnel construction is part of the Clear Water Project, an investment meant to help modernize wastewater infrastructure, according to Congresswoman Nanette Barragán. The 7-mile-long tunnel is being constructed about 200 feet underground and is expected to end at Royal Palms Beach in San Pedro.
“Cal/OSHA has been notified of the tunnel collapse that occurred in Wilmington and is actively investigating the incident. While the investigation is ongoing, we are unable to share additional details at this time. Please note that Cal/OSHA has up to six months to issue citations if any violations of workplace safety regulations are identified,” wrote Cal OSHA in a statement to NBC4.