Teen Buried ‘Under Several Feet of Sand’ After Dune Collapse in Outer Banks

What was supposed to be a fun day at the beach ended in tragedy when a dune collapsed and buried a 17-year-old under several feet of sand at a national park in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Rangers at Cape Hatteras National Seashore responded to 911 calls at 2 p.m. on Saturday after his family discovered the Virginia teen trapped in a hole near off-road vehicle ramp 49, CBS reported.

National Park Service said in a statement.

Prior to arriving on scene, family and friends went looking for the teenager and found him buried under several feet of sand, apparently caused by portions of the adjacent dune collapsing into the hole. Rangers worked with family members to extract the teen while simultaneously performing CPR. Dare County Emergency Medical Services personnel and Hatteras Island Ocean Rescue staff assisted with extracting the teenager from the hole and administering CPR. Unfortunately, resuscitation efforts were not successful. The incident is under investigation.

“Cape Hatteras National Seashore offers our condolences to his family and friends,” said David Hallac, superintendent of the National Parks of 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.”

The accident comes just weeks away from the anniversary of the death of a Union, Maine, teen that was killed at the beach in Toms Rivers, New Jersey.

Levi Caverly, 18, and his 17-year-old sister were digging a hole on the beach when it collapsed, trapping the siblings, CBS noted. Rescuers were able to save Caverly’s sister, but the 18-year-old was killed.

In addition to being a danger to people, large holes dug by beachgoers can delay or damage rescue vehicles on the beach, as well as trap sea turtles and their hatchlings, said David Elder, ocean rescue supervisor for Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. Elder has warned people not to dig such holes, NPR reported.