(TheRedAlertNews.com) – In an unexpected but terrifying tragedy, a young child has perished after a hole dug up by two young siblings on a beach in Florida collapsed on top of them.
This tragedy happened in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, in Broward County, at approximately 3:16 p.m., as reported by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office on the city’s official website.
A young girl lost her life while her brother had to be hospitalized due to the injuries that he suffered.
They were buried under the sand when the hole they had excavated suddenly caved in. Both victims are under the age of 8.
The hole was 5-6 feet deep, according to eyewitnesses cited by The Washington Times.
According to Sandra King, a spokesperson for Pompano Beach Fire Rescue, both children found themselves trapped.
However, the boy was only partly covered by sand, which saved his life, The Miami Herald reports.
“The boy was buried up to his chest and the girl was completely submerged,” King told The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
An eyewitness at the scene described to ABC affiliate WPLG-TV the desperate efforts of bystanders to rescue the children.
“I mean, you saw grown men digging with shovels and buckets, and nobody could find her,” the witness recounted.
Shockingly, despite the rush to dig her up, the girl remained buried under the sand for at least 15 minutes.
Efforts to rescue her saw first responders frantically digging with shovels and boards while trying to make sure that additional sand would not collapse into the hole.
Despite their efforts, the girl was found without a pulse.
“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 informed.
Her brother was reported to be in stable condition.
The authorities haven’t revealed the children’s identities as they continue to investigate the incident.
