Lifeguards save teen from being 'buried alive' on beach after hole he dug collapsed on him

A teenage boy was saved by lifeguards and members of the public on a beach when a hole he was digging in the sand suddenly collapsed on him.

Holidaymakers reportedly used children's spades to help lifeguards try to save the schoolboy as he sunk into the sand up to his neck.

He was eventually freed from the sand at Dolwen Beach in Aberporth, west Wales, on Friday (3 June).

The RNLI confirmed that two lifeguards patrolling the beach had been alerted to the drama by a member of the public who told them that a young boy had fallen into a hole.

A spokesperson said: "At 1.25pm on Friday, two lifeguards patrolling Aberporth Beach were alerted by a member of the public that a young boy had fallen into a hole.

"One of the lifeguards grabbed a trauma bag while the second went to assess the situation. The red and yellow flags were dropped but an off-duty lifeguard remained on the water’s edge.

"Arriving with the casualty, the lifeguards observed that the boy was in the hole where the sand had collapsed on him covering most of his body.

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"One of the lifeguards proceeded to help members of the public carefully dig the sand away before getting a rescue tube down to the casualty in the event it was needed.

"After 20 minutes, the casualty was freed from the hole where he was then assessed by the lifeguards before being handed over into the care of paramedics. The Fire Service was also tasked."

The Tivy-Side Advertiser quoted an eyewitness as saying: "I saw some holidaymakers trying to free the boy with beach spades – it was a fantastic response from both the lifeguards and the public.

"The boy was very lucky the incident didn’t happen in the evening when the beach would have been deserted."