A 17-year-old lad was killed when the sand dune he was playing in collapsed and dragged him under.
Initial reports say that he fell after a hole was dug on a beach in North Carolina in the US.
The boy, who has not been named but is understood to be from Virginia, was discovered under multiple feet of sand at around 2pm on May 7.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore officials said a search for the boy broke out on the beach in Frisco.
They found him deep in a hole in a dune at the back of the beach.
According to Dare County Emergency Medical Services and Hatteras Island Ocean Rescue worked to pull the boy from the hole.
Once out, CPR was performed in a bid to resuscitate him but it was not enough to save the teen.
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The National Park Service said a nearby dune that can't be seen from the seafront appears to have collapsed onto the boy, reports the Daily Star.
Superintendent of the National Parks of Eastern North Carolina, David Hallac, said: "Cape Hatteras National Seashore offers our condolences to his family and friends.
"We urge visitors not to dig deep holes on the beach due to the danger they present to beachgoers and emergency response staff."
Social media reaction appears to show that hole digging is a commonplace activity in the area.
People were quick to comment underneath the statement made in a post online.
One person said: "It's time to start issuing major fines for digging holes. Too many people are dying from digging on the beach."
Another added: "Put the law in effect... No digging large holes!! Patrol the beaches and enforce it."
Last month, a ten-year-old boy died after falling 20ft through an open manhole cover.
Shea Ryan died on a building site in Drumchapel, Glasgow when he slipped down the ladder of a manhole into a water-filled space below.
He and his friends had gained entry to the location through an insecure fence near a playground before discovering an open manhole cover.
Looking into the hole, he then told the other children: “I want to go down.”
Describing his fatal fall, the prosecutor told a hearing at Glasgow Sheriff Court today: “Shea began to climb down the ladder where he slipped and fell.
“From the position of the ladder, he fell to the water below.”
After other children raised the alarm, Shea’s stepdad Graham Patterson entered the manhole.
Police officers attending the scene found the ten-year-old lying on his back with Mr Patterson and a neighbour beside him.
The distance between the ladder and the bottom of the hole was 6.3 metres, approximately 20ft.
The prosecutor said: “Shea was seen to have severe head injuries, cold to the touch and was not breathing.”
An officer brought Shea to the surface and performed CPR and he was taken to Glasgow's Royal Children’s Hospital, but he could sadly not be saved.
The cause of death was noted as “head injury and drowning".
