The Hidden World Beneath the Neon Lights
While tourists revel in the dazzling casinos of the Las Vegas Strip, a starkly different reality exists just metres below their feet. Turkish YouTuber and explorer Ruhi Çenet has brought the plight of the city's so-called "mole people" to light, documenting their daily fight for survival in a labyrinth of tunnels.
In a recent expedition, Çenet, known for visiting the world's most inaccessible locations, ventured into this shadowy underworld. He revealed a reported community of around 1,500 homeless individuals living in hundreds of miles of flood tunnels, creating what some describe as the world's largest underground community.
A Descent into Darkness and Danger
Guided by Rob, a man who had survived five years in the tunnels, the journey began ominously. Rob carried Narcan nasal sprays, a medicine used to reverse opioid overdoses, highlighting one of the many immediate dangers faced by residents.
The entrance itself was barricaded with heavy metal bars, a deterrent for the uninvited and a partial barrier against floodwaters carrying waste. Here, Çenet met his first tunnel-dweller, who heartbreakingly confessed to having lost two of his best friends in a deluge, underscoring the lethal threat of flooding.
Further inside, a man named Nate issued terrifying warnings about the tunnel network's depth and peril. He theorised the system went seven floors down and contained service rooms where "anybody could be." His grim assessment included the risks of being kidnapped or even burnt alive.
Violence and the Breakdown of Community
The theme of violence was persistent. Another resident, Toby, recounted a harrowing attack where he was confronted by three men, one armed with a machete. "I had a basket and I took it in there, threw it on its side, stuck holes in it, made one of them little Molotov cocktails; it's the only thing that saved me," he told Çenet.
The exploration revealed a grim existence, with torchlight exposing living spaces surrounded by rubbish and broken glass, some dwellers taking refuge in makeshift tents. Tony, a six-year resident, lamented the erosion of a once-strong sense of community, replaced by individuals who "don't give a shit about nothing but themselves." He described a fire started near his spot by an "arsehole" that nearly killed his pet cat.
Beverley, who had lived there for eight or nine years, said the tunnels were both "horrific" and "very scary" when it rains. When asked about the hardest part of her life underground, she packed "years of disappointment" into a two-word answer: "the people."
Scarcity and Sudden Death
Another unnamed man, living with his pet dog, detailed the struggle for basic necessities. He retrieved water from a nearby fire hydrant and admitted he would steal food if necessary, also relying on a food stamp card. A prominent scar on his forehead was a souvenir from being hit with a piece of wood over a dispute involving a bike, a "hot commodity" in the tunnels.
The conversation took a darker turn when he was asked if he had ever witnessed a death. He chillingly described hearing someone enter, followed by two gunshots. "And before I knew it, he was standing right in front of me with a white t-shirt on that was turning red really fast," he said, claiming the shooter was the victim's own brother.
A Stark Contrast Above Ground
Emerging from the darkness, Ruhi Çenet stepped back into the Las Vegas daylight, immediately pointing his camera towards the famous Caesars Palace hotel and casino, which stood merely across the road from one of the tunnel entrances.
This jarring proximity between immense wealth and desperate poverty encapsulated the entire experience. As Çenet himself concluded, "This is a drama" playing out in the shadows of one of the world's most iconic cities.
