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Girl killed when hole she dug in sand collapses on her at Florida beach

Boy found buried up to his chest in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea

Scene of the sand pit at Lauderdale-By-The-Sea on Tuesday (Copyright 2024 by WPLG - All rights reserved.)

LAUDERDALE-BY-THE-SEA, Fla. – A young girl was buried in sand and died Tuesday when a deep hole she was digging with a little boy collapsed on them both at a South Florida beach, authorities said.

Emergency crews responding around 3 p.m. to Lauderdale-by-the-Sea found the boy, who is about 8 years old, buried up his chest in sand, said Sandra King, a spokesperson for Pompano Beach Fire Rescue.

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The girl, about 7 years old, was completely buried underneath the boy, King said.

The hole was 5 or 6 feet deep when the collapse happened, she said.

Rescuers used support boards to keep more sand from collapsing in as they used shovels to dig the children out, King said. She didn’t know how long they were buried.

The girl was rushed to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, where she was pronounced dead, King said.

The boy was hospitalized in stable condition.

It wasn’t immediately known whether an adult was helping the children dig the hole.

Scene at the beach on Tuesday afternoon (Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

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