About 70 Schoolgirls Rescued After Entering a Drain Tunnel in Nanuet

About 70 Haredi schoolgirls were safely rescued after entering a drainage system during a school trip in Nanuet, New York, on Wednesday, authorities said. The students from Toras Emekh school in Monsey were on an outing about 80 kilometers north of New York City when they went into a drain near the town’s central business district.

According to reports, police were called after an officer saw a large group of young girls coming out of a manhole in an alley near a restaurant. Other girls emerged from manholes elsewhere in Nanuet. None of the students suffered serious injuries, and all of them managed to get out of the drainage tunnel on their own.

Nanuet Mayor Joe Rand said the girls had been visiting a memorial park when they entered a large storm drain. “They saw the tunnel, they saw the cave, and thought, let’s go look, see what’s in there,” he said. “And they started walking, and they just kept walking and walking and walking.” He said the group traveled about a kilometer through a dark rocky channel before exiting safely through a local restaurant, surprising owner Matt Hudson.

Hudson said he heard children chattering while in his office and was stunned to find the girls climbing out of a drain above a creek in the yard behind his restaurant. Rand thanked emergency crews and said the outing was dangerous, especially because rain later that afternoon could have made the drain far more dangerous. He said the town would review safety measures at the site and remind visitors that storm drains are not meant for use.