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Rescue crews respond to area tunnel collapse
Tunnel pix
This photo shows emergency vehicles and construction equipment at the site of the Canyon Tunnel Project tunnel collapse on Tuesday afternoon, April 14 northeast of Knights Ferry near the Stanislaus-Calaveras County line. Modesto Fire Department Photo

Emergency crews were dispatched Tuesday afternoon to the area of Schell and Sonora roads near the Stanislaus-Calaveras County line to a report of a collapse at the Canyon Tunnel Project.

That project is a joint effort of the South San Joaquin Irrigation District and the Oakdale Irrigation District, northeast of Knights Ferry.

The first reports coming in were for a rescue operation, though initially there was little information regarding what collapsed and how many people may have been involved. It was later determined that the collapse occurred about 200 feet inside the tunnel being constructed as part of the project.

According to officials, the call came in around 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14.

Radio traffic by emergency responders on scene indicated one person was removed from the collapse site and it was believed there was at least one more person trapped. Later reports stated one person was killed in the collapse and another was taken to the hospital; responders were working to remove the body of the deceased person from inside the tunnel.

Among the crews responding were Modesto Fire Department, Stanislaus Consolidated and CalFire, along with both Stanislaus County and Calaveras County sheriff’s department personnel.

This is information from the South San Joaquin Irrigation District website regarding the project: “Together with its partner Oakdale Irrigation District (OID), South San Joaquin Irrigation District (SSJID) is constructing a bypass tunnel for its Joint Supply Canal (JSC). The project, currently referred to as the “Canyon Tunnel Project,” would increase water delivery reliability into the next century.”

Also posted on the SSJID website is a recently released video providing a spring update on the project, which details the work currently being done at the site. The firm Drill Tech Drilling & Shoring Inc. is also working on the project.

It is an $80 million project being built on private property, according to the SSJID, with that district covering 72 percent of the cost and OID covering 28 percent. There will be 12,000 feet of new tunnel, the project plan indicates.