A 12-year-old boy was hospitalized after becoming buried in a Michigan sand dune for 14 minutes, say officials.
The boy and his 8-year-old brother had been digging holes and burying each other while playing at Silver Lake State Park in Mears, Michigan on Sunday.
Oceana County Sheriff’s Office says that one of the holes was approximately 5 feet deep, and the walls collapsed over the 12-year-old while they were playing, burying him beneath the sand.
According to the sheriff's office, the other child immediately began calling for help.
"The brother who witnessed what had just occurred yelled for help, and the parents who were there immediately began calling for help and digging," the sheriff's office said.
The OCSO received a report about the incident at approximately 7pm. A deputy with Golden Township, who was at the park at the time of the incident, reportedly responded within two minutes.
When the deputy arrived on scene the child was not visible beneath the sand, and his family was desperately trying to dig him out.
Firefighters, EMS, and bystanders worked together to dig down and find the child and remove him from the sand.
OCSO Lt Shane Hasty told WZZM that the child was buried for approximately 14 minutes before he was extracted from the sand.
The child was reportedly unresponsive and not breathing when he was finally pulled from the hole.
Emergency officials treated him at the scene before he was transported to the DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids, according to the sheriff's office. The child is recovering in the hospital.
"We hope that this young man recovers fully and be out playing with his brother again soon," the sheriff's office said. "We are very thankful for our partnership with all the agencies who responded."
Hasty told the outlet that bystanders played a significant role in rescuing the child.
"It greatly benefited the child," he said. "It sounds like once it was a witnessed collapse and people began digging, and also people were calling 911, to get further assistance on the way."
Deputies also noted that there was nothing wrong with the sand, such as a sinkhole, and that the sand at the dunes was safe to walk on.
