A happy ending to what could have turned tragic after five boys got stuck inside a “really tight” sewer system on Staten Island and became lost in a drainage tunnel. It took rescuers over a half hour to locate them.
Five boys get lost in a sewer system
Five boys, ranging in ages between 11 and 12, decided to go on an exploration by entering into the Staten Island sewer system near Martling Avenue and Clove Road. Their adventure became a nightmare.
Only fifteen minutes into the journey, having traveled about a quarter of a mile deep into the dark depths, the boys became “disoriented” to their surroundings and realized they were in trouble, with no idea of how to find their way back out, People reported.
Around 6 PM, the boys dialed 911 for help. But there was a problem. Since the boys had no idea where they were, it was difficult for them to explain to dispatchers exactly where fire department rescuers should go to find them.
CNN published a transcript of the vague information the boys gave the dispatcher, including answers to the question of where are you: “We don’t know… We’re like… We’re stuck in the sewers.”
Rescuers tried to narrow down the location by asking the boys how far they had walked. “We walked a lot,” the kid said.
Rescuers find boys in “really tight” space
Rescue teams dispatched to the area were finally able to figure out where the children entered the sewer, as one of the responding units spotted the boys’ backpacks and jackets left at the entrance to the tunnel, which leads to the sewers under Clove Lakes Park, CNN reported.
The dispatcher then instructed the children to call out for help to assist the teams in locating them, NBC News reported. FDNY Chief John Hodgens said firefighters had to open manhole covers until they could hear the children calling out for help. It took rescuers roughly 30 minutes to locate them.
Authorities then determined that the boys had crawled through a tunnel to get into the sewer system and traveled about a quarter of a mile farther inside.
New York Fire Department (FDNY) Lt. John Drew said the opening the boys crawled through was about 40 inches wide but later reduced to about 30 inches, making it difficult to navigate.
A firefighter entered the tunnel using a rope and breathing equipment, FDNY Deputy Chief Joe Harris said, then crouched down and crawled toward the boys.
All five boys were transported to Richmond Medical Center for evaluation. One boy was said to have a minor injury to his leg.
One firefighter sustained minor injuries in the course of the rescue.
Authorities said the boys had crawled on their knees for about an hour in the tunnels, in total darkness, with a single cell phone light to find their way.
Fire Chief Hodgens said it was “amazing” the boys’ cell phone still worked inside the sewer. He credited the dispatchers for doing a “great job of continuing to communicate and try to pinpoint exactly where they were.”
“It was a bit challenging,” the chief said, applauding the “successful operation” and its “happy outcome.”
