A girl died after a hole she was digging with her brother at a Florida beach collapsed on them both, multiple outlets reported.
Emergency officials in Broward County received a call shortly after 3 p.m. that a 7-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy were trapped in the sand in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, according to a Wednesday release from the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue and Pompano Beach Fire Rescue also reported to the scene, located on Florida’s east coast north of Miami.
Pompano Beach Fire Rescue spokesperson Sandra King told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that the two children were digging a hole approximately 5 to 6 feet deep when it collapsed. The boy was buried to his chest and the girl was completely buried under the boy, King told the Sentinel.
The two children were siblings, visiting the area on vacation with their parents from Indiana, BSO said. The incident remains under investigation.
Cell phone footage obtained by WTVJ-Ch. 6 of the moments after the hole collapsed show at least 10 bystanders rushing to the scene to try to dig the children out.
According to BSO, both children were taken to hospitals for treatment. Later that day, the girl was pronounced dead.
“Our hearts are heavy in LBTS today after learning two children were trapped in the sand,” the city of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea wrote in a statement on its website. “We are doing everything we can to support our first responders.”
