A heart-wrenching scene unfolded on a Florida beach as desperate bystanders and first responders battled to rescue a young girl trapped in a sand hole she had been digging.
The incident occurred at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday (February 20).
According to reports from NBC Miami, the girl - believed to be between five to seven years old - had been digging a 5- to 6-foot-deep hole on the beach when disaster struck. Without warning, the sand collapsed, enveloping her and a seven-year-old boy who was nearby.
While the boy found himself trapped up to his chest, the weight of the sand proved fatal for the young girl, burying her completely.
In a race against time, bystanders and emergency responders leaped into action, frantically digging away at the sand in a bid to reach the trapped child. Dramatic footage shared by CBS Miami showed the intense efforts as shovels and boards were wielded to clear the sand away from the collapsed hole.
Describing the incident as an "unfathomable accident," Sandra King - spokeswoman for Pompano Beach Fire Rescue - recounted the harrowing ordeal to the Miami Herald. By the time rescuers managed to reach the young girl, she had tragically stopped breathing, leading to a frantic attempt to revive her.
"We were conducting life-saving techniques to try to bring her pulse back, and it never did recover, and she was pronounced dead at the hospital," King said.
The girl was pronounced dead upon arrival at Broward Health Medical Center, while the boy, miraculously, remained in stable condition.
The identities of the children have been withheld due to their young ages. It remains unclear whether the children were locals or tourists visiting the beach.
The incident has sparked an investigation into the collapse of the sand hole, with authorities diligently working to unravel the sequence of events that led to the fatal outcome. "The investigation into this incident is ongoing," Broward Sheriff’s Office said, per the Miami Herald.
This heartbreaking event serves as a stark reminder of the inherent dangers lurking on beaches, particularly when it comes to sand holes. A report published in the New England Journal of Medicine revealed alarming statistics, with 52 instances of people being buried in sand holes that collapsed between 1997 and 2007, resulting in 31 fatalities.
Our thoughts go out to everybody impacted by this tragedy.
