Officers in Utah say a 13-year-old boy has died after a tunnel he apparently dug in a sand dune at a state park collapsed with him inside.
The incident occurred simply after 5:30 p.m. Saturday exterior a campground space at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, the State Parks Division stated Monday.
A member of the family witnessed the collapse, and park workers members started serving to digging for the boy, officers stated. Deputies with the Kane County Sheriff's Workplace additionally arrived with shovels.
Ian Spendlove, of Santa Clara, Utah, was situated about 6½ ft beneath the sand about 20 minutes after the collapse, authorities stated. After responders confirmed the boy had a pulse, he was flown to a hospital in St. George after which to Salt Lake Metropolis. Nonetheless, by Sunday, he had not regained mind perform and was pronounced useless, the assertion stated.
"The Utah Division of State Parks extends our condolences to Ian Spendlove's family and friends impacted by this tragedy," officers stated. "The incident stays below investigation."
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park is situated in southwestern Utah close to the Arizona border. The uniquely coloured dunes, which come from comes from Navajo sandstone, are estimated to be between 10,000 and 15,000 years previous.
Between 1985 and 2007, not less than 20 youngsters and younger adults within the U.S. died in sand submersions, based on a letter from the medical doctors printed in The New England Journal of Drugs.