The 8-year-old boy was hospitalized, and the 7-year-old girl died after being transported. buried under the sand on a Florida beach Tuesday afternoon, firefighters said.
Witnesses said the children were digging holes in the sand with others in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea when the sand suddenly collapsed, burying them.
The boy was buried up to his chest, and the girl was buried completely beneath him.
Bystanders jumped in and helped dig her out, but it was too late to save the girl. He was pronounced dead after paramedics took him to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale.
“We performed life-saving measures to try to get her pulse back, but her pulse did not return and she was pronounced dead at the hospital,” said Pompano Beach Fire Rescue spokeswoman Sandra King. .
Video taken with a mobile phone scene Beachgoers jumped in to dig holes next to first responders. They had to make sure the sides didn’t keep falling on top of the girl while digging.
The boy’s parents carried him to a Broward Sheriff’s Office vehicle, where he was taken to the hospital. He was reported to be in serious but stable condition.
King said they received a call about the landslide around 3 p.m., and the fire department said the hole was about 5 to 6 feet deep before it collapsed.
“It was an unfathomable accident,” she added.
She did not say whether the victim was a visitor to the area or a local resident, but added that the sheriff’s office is investigating the tragic incident.
“This is an absolutely horrifying and heartbreaking situation,” said WFOR-TV reporter Anna McAllister.
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is a beach town of approximately 6,200 people located 53 miles north of Miami.
Reports regarding this incident are as follows:
Do you like Blaze News? Avoid censorship and sign up for our newsletter to get articles like this delivered straight to your inbox. Please register here!
