
© Caltrans District 1A landslide closed state Route 36, in Humboldt County, Calif., on May 31, 2025, and resulted in the death of an employee of a Caltrans contractor.
A contractor's employee doing work on a Caltrans emergency project was killed early Saturday morning during an active landslide along state Route 36 in Humboldt County, officials confirmed.
The death, first reported by local news outlet Redheaded Blackbelt, occurred around 5 a.m. east of Swimmer's Delight, according to a statement provided to SFGATE by Manny Machado, spokesperson for Caltrans District 1. The worker's identity has not been released pending notification of next of kin. The California Highway Patrol is investigating the circumstances of the death, Machado said.
Caltrans announced a full closure of Route 36 in the affected area, with no estimated time of reopening. "Route 36 is FULLY CLOSED east of Swimmer's Delight ... due to an active slide,"
Caltrans District 1 posted on social media at 7:56 a.m.
Comment: The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology Observatory reports that Monday's eruption was Etna's biggest since 2014.