In a grim discovery, human remains were unearthed in a makeshift dwelling under a bridge in Los Angeles, following reports of a "foul odor" in the vicinity.
The dwelling, located in the Ballona Creek flood control channel, was discovered by personnel from the Los Angeles Fire Department and the Los Angeles Police Department, as reported by KTLA.
The Los Angeles Fire Department, in a statement released on Saturday, advised motorists to use alternative routes, without providing a timeline for when the area would be accessible again.
The statement also detailed the challenging nature of the location, describing it as a "livable structure" nestled within the bridge's underbelly, approximately 20 feet above a slow-moving tidal water body and 50 feet from the shore.
The structure, according to LAFD spokesperson Brian Humphrey, seemed to have been a dwelling at some point, although it remains uncertain whether the discovered remains belong to the individual who resided there.
In a post dated September 2, 2023, the fire department stated, "Agency Assist by and allied agencies to recover apparent human remains within an impromptu shelter constructed beneath the Culver Blvd Bridge above." They further added that the body's "safe and dignified removal" from the hard-to-reach structure would be carried out upon approval from LAPD detectives and the Medical Examiners Investigator.
The rescue operation, which took several hours, involved the use of ropes and harnesses to access the structure by "hooking into the bridge infrastructure," as per the Sacramento Bee. Preliminary assessments suggest the remains could be of a 40-year-old male, but this is yet to be confirmed. As reported by KTLA, the body has not been removed from the site as of yet.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the authorities were first alerted to the situation by a call from an individual, believed to be homeless, who suspected the presence of a body under a bridge. The caller, reportedly facing cognitive challenges, was unable to pinpoint the exact location of the bridge.
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