A man from Florida has tragically died after a sand dune collapsed on him while he was recording the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean.
According to officials, the body of Sean Nagel, 37, was discovered buried in the sand on Hutchinson Island, on Sunday, August 7, by a beachgoer.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook that the passerby saw a portion of the man's body protruding from the sand on the beach early morning and called the police.
The victim was apparently resting beneath the dune while recording the sunrise when the hill of sand tumbled on him, detectives said. Fire rescue was called to the scene and removed his body. He was unable to be resuscitated.
Read their post below:Law enforcement told WPTV that the person was walking along the beach when they saw the victim’s feet sticking out of the sand.
"It was an unusual scene with his feet sticking out of the sand and then of course we had to dig down and find the body,” Sheriff William Snyder told the publication. "It revealed some sand in his lungs."
The sheriff said that the man was known to go to the beach early in the morning with his camera and film the sunrise and that the time of the victim’s death was around 5:00AM or 6:00AM.
Nagel was not found for around three hours, with Treasure Coast Newspapers reporting that investigators discovered a GoPro video camera and a plastic bag with Nagel.
"Somehow while he was there, inexplicably, we don’t know why, that beach erosion, a mountain of sand, collapsed on him," Sheriff Snyder added. "Obviously, he was unable to get out, and he expired. The cause of death is asphyxiation."
Officials say there was "no foul play" involved in this tragedy and assured that it appears that the victim "was resting underneath a sand dune" while taking video of a sunrise.
In a post on Facebook, Nagel's brother, Will Nagel, confirmed the unfortunate news and shared a tribute to his brother. He wrote that the family is planning memorial arrangements.
"I am grief-stricken and still in disbelief to tell you all that my younger brother Sean Alexander Nagel is no longer with us on this earth," Will wrote.
"Sean died tragically and accidentally on Sunday, August 7th, 2022 when a sand dune at the beach here in Martin County collapsed on top of him," he continued. "Please remember to enjoy your life and don't take a single second for granted."
Martin County officials have not identified the exact spot Nagel died or how the dune was formed, according to TCPalm.
Our thoughts go out to Nagel's family and friends at this time.