The Tunnel People of Las Vegas

by Liz Colville

There are about 1,000 people living in the tunnels under Las Vegas, which are for the most part flooded. The creativity of some of the residents — one couple made a shower out of a water cooler — is truly impressive. But in spite of the relative comfort many of the people have found down below the Strip, the conditions are undeniably awful, as are many of the circumstances that led people to move down there. A few of the tunnels’ occupants include “poisonous spiders and a man nicknamed The Troll who wields an iron bar.” When a reporter named Matthew O’Brien discovered the scene in the tunnels (while researching a murder case, no less), he decided to write a book about it, and also set up a foundation. Remarkable photos of the tunnels, including potentially Na’avi-referencing graffiti, over at the Daily Mail.