Rockslide traps up to 15 people in Oregon beach tunnel in rising tide, rescuers say

A rockslide Saturday morning trapped up to 15 people inside a concrete tunnel between two Oregon beaches, rescuers say.

Rescuers had to quickly devise a plan to extricate the beachgoers following the 10:45 a.m. slide before the tide rose, according to a Facebook post by the Netarts-Oceanside Fire Department.

The tunnel connects Oceanside Beach and Tunnel Beach, which is ringed by cliffs, rescuers told McClatchy News. The rockslide blocked the Oceanside Beach tunnel entrance.

Six people on the Tunnel Beach side managed to climb out to seek help, rescuers said. The remainder were trapped on the beach with the tide rising.

Rescuers with the Netarts-Oceanside Fire Department extricated the beachgoers one at a time to Oceanside Beach through a 3-foot diameter gap left by the slide, the Facebook post says.

The rescue took about 25 minutes, according to the post. Oregon State Parks officials closed the tunnel to public access.

“Thanks for coming to our aid! You all did an amazing job! Quickly!” wrote one of the trapped beachgoers in a comment on the Facebook post.