A 17-year-old out on a beach day with friends and family died Saturday afternoon after he became trapped “under several feet of sand,” the U.S. National Park Service said.
Police received a 911 call at around 2 p.m. local time about a teenager trapped in a hole at Cape Hatteras National Seashore in Frisco, N.C. The hole had been dug beside a sand dune in a back area of the seashore, not visible from the beach.
It’s unclear if the 17-year-old boy had dug the hole himself or found it and climbed in.
The friends and family of the 17-year-old went looking for him and found the teen buried in the sand after portions of the nearby sand dune collapsed and flooded the hole, the National Park Service wrote in a press release.
When rangers arrived at the scene, they worked with family members to dig the trapped teen out and performed CPR.
“Unfortunately, resuscitation efforts were not successful,” the press release says. “The incident is under investigation.”
The 17-year-old was visiting the area and was originally from Chesapeake, Va. His name has not been released by authorities.
“Cape Hatteras National Seashore offers our condolences to his family and friends,” said David Hallac, superintendent of national parks in eastern North Carolina. “We urge visitors not to dig deep holes on the beach due to the danger they present to beachgoers and emergency response staff.”
Almost exactly one year ago, an 18-year-old died and his 17-year-old sister was injured after a hole the pair were digging at a New Jersey beach collapsed in on them.