A five-year-old girl died on Tuesday after a hole collapsed on a beach in the US state of Florida. The girl and her brother dug a hole more than a meter deep.
The incident happened at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea beach. The girl dug a hole with her seven-year-old brother, but it collapsed. The boy was stuck in the sand up to his chest and the girl disappeared completely.
Video footage shows beachgoers desperately trying to free the girl by digging a hole with their hands and buckets. The small beach had no lifeguards, so it took some time for professional help to arrive.
The first emergency services arrived four minutes later. They dug the sand with spades and tried to hold it with planks. When they got to the girl, she had no heartbeat. No revitalizing effect.
A fire brigade spokesman spoke of a “horrific scene”. “Imagine for a moment that your children are playing in the sand, and within seconds you are in a life-threatening situation.”
The boy was rescued from the sand. I don't know how he is doing.
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