A boy was trapped in sand up to his neck after the hole he was digging on a beach collapsed around him. It left only his head visible, with his parents forced to scoop sand away from him while they waited for rescue teams.
The 14-year-old became stuck on the beach at Anderby Creek, near Skegness, at lunchtime on Easter Saturday (April 8). Coastguards said he was "extremely lucky" the tide was not coming in.
Two coastguard teams were dispatched to the scene along with firefighters, police officers, paramedics and an air ambulance. They were able to dig the boy out of the hole and passed him onto paramedics to be checked over, Lincolnshire Live reports.
Lucy Hicks, Senior Maritime Operations Officer for HM Coastguard said: "The teenager was extremely lucky, if the tide had been coming in or the hole was just a little bit larger there could have been a very different outcome today.
"Sand by nature is notoriously unstable once you disturb it, we’re not telling people they shouldn’t build sand castles or dig holes. Just please consider size and location of the hole, the larger it is the higher the chances it may collapse. We love the beach and want people to enjoy their time when visiting, but you have to think if it took you two hours to dig a hole that’s how long it can take for someone to dig you out."
Fran Wilkins, HM Coastguard senior coastal operations officer, told Grimsby Live the boy had remained calm throughout, "which definitely helped reduce the panic and allowed everyone to get to work and do their job." She said it was fortunate that the boy was standing up in the hole rather than face down.
