COLLAPSE TRAPS 11 WORKERS FOUR CRITICALLY INJURED PEOPLE, SEVEN OTHERS PULLED FROM SEWAGE TANK.

Byline: Neda Raouf Staff Writer

CARSON - An urban search-and-rescue team waded through wet cement and mangled steel Thursday to free 11 workers after the roof of a 50-foot deep sewage tank collapsed during construction.

Four men were critically injured, including two who were impaled on metal rods, while the others suffered broken bones, possible lung damage or other injuries after they fell into the tank.

``It was a very difficult situation,'' said Los Angeles County firefighter Jeff Russell, the first rescuer to arrive at the scene. ``We're very lucky there were no fatalities.''

The tank, being constructed as part of a sewage project, collapsed after workers started pouring concrete atop the structure, said Don Avila, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sanitation District.

``Workers who were on top were trying to get off but some did not make it,'' he said.

The names of the injured, who range in age from 27 to 54, were not immediately released.

Three of the workers were taken to Harbor UCLA Medical Center while another went to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, said Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Edward Osorio.

The others had minor injuries and were taken to trauma centers for observation, he said.

The stretch of Figueroa Street from Sepulveda Boulevard to Main Street was blocked off for about four hours while rescuers were lowered by a crane down into the 120-foot wide tank.

``When we got here, it was a mass of twisted steel and wet concrete,'' he said. ``It was just a mess down there.''

Ten firefighters used torches, metal cutters and rotary saws to help them cut through the debris, Osorio said. Rescuers also used infrared cameras in their search for trapped workers.

Firefighter Sean Kinsner was one of the first to be lowered down into the collapsed structure.

``It was a lot of rebar, a lot of wood,'' Kinsner said. ``It looked like a web.''

About a third of the structure was left standing, but rescuers were concerned that there could be another collapse.

Many of the construction workers at the site helped with the rescues, including Javier Flores, who had been involved in the collapse but walked away without injuries.

``I feel kind of shaky,'' said Flores, 40.

The construction project, contracted out from the sanitation district, was one of three tanks being built by Kiewit Pacific Co. to store sewage. Two have already been completed.