7-Year-Old Dies & Brother In Critical Condition After Sand Hole On Beach Collapses
The two kids were playing at the beach when the sand collapsed on them.
By Tamara Jayne — 04 Mar 2024, 12:08 PM
A tragic incident occurred recently on a beach in Florida, US, where a seven-year-old girl died after being buried by collapsed sand
Sloan Mattingly died on 20 February at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea's beach when a hole, measuring 1.5 to 1.8 metres (5 to 6 feet) deep, collapsed on her and her nine-year-old brother, Maddox.
The two kids were playing on the beach when the tragedy struck.
The boy was buried up to his chest, while the girl was completely covered by the sand.
AP News reported that about 20 adults attempted to dig the children out using their hands and plastic pails, but the hole kept collapsing on itself.
Emergency crew rushed to the scene after receiving a call at 3pm
"The preliminary investigation revealed the children, and their parents were on vacation from Indiana. Investigators say the children were digging a hole in the sand when they were trapped. The circumstances into this incident remain under investigation," the Broward County Sheriff's Office said in a statement, reported ABC News.
According to the Broward County's office, both children were rescued. However, the seven-year-old girl was later pronounced dead.
A witness saw one of the children being pulled from the sand hole by first responders.
"I mean, you saw grown men digging with shovels and buckets and nobody could find her," a witness told Local 10 News reporter Christian De La Rosa.
According to a spokesperson for Pompano Beach Fire Rescue, the girl was completely buried beneath the boy.
Sloan Mattingly (right) was playing at the beach when the tragedy incident occurred.
Image via Inside Edition