Dozens of firefighters responded after a tunnel collapse near Modesto left one person dead and another injured on Tuesday.
The Modesto Fire Department said the initial call came in at 3:42 p.m. of a person in need of rescue, at the intersection of Schell Road and Sonora Road. The call was deemed a “technical” rescue.
“Upon arrival, crews located a tunneling project where a collapse had occurred,” the department said. “One injured individual had exited the tunnel prior to the arrival of first responders.”
The injured person was taken to a nearby hospital with “mild to moderate” injuries.
A second person was trapped in the rubble of the collapse, which occurred about 200 feet into the tunnel, Modesto fire officials confirmed to SFGATE. Rescuers finally reached the trapped individual at about 10 p.m. The individual was confirmed deceased at the scene.
In total, 30 firefighters responded to the scene, including two truck companies and one rescue company.
The tunnel is part of the Canyon Tunnel Project, according to KCRA-TV, an $80 million water project focused on improving water reliability in the Central Valley. The project is slated to add 12,000 feet of tunnel in order to bypass a channel prone to rockslides and create a “safer work environment” for personnel. Digging for the new tunnel section started in January, according to the project’s website.
Requests for comment from the South San Joaquin Irrigation District, which is overseeing the construction of the tunnel, have not been returned by the time of publication.