Teenager buried in sand 'lucky' to be alive

A teenager was "extremely lucky" not to have suffocated after being buried seven-feet deep in sand, the coastguard has said.

Rescuers were called to West Wittering beach in West Sussex on Thursday after the boy dug a hole in the sand before being buried in it by his friends.

He was carefully removed from the sand by emergency workers, given oxygen and taken to be assessed by lifeguards and paramedics.

The coastguard said the teenager was at risk of being crushed or suffocating, and also urged people to be careful of holes at the beach as they can collapse.

"Buckets and spades, digging holes and playing in the sand are all part of the fun at the beach, and long may it continue," a spokesperson said.

"But there are hidden risks of serious injury from falls when deep gaps are left unfilled, often where children are running around.

"Sand is also unstable and can suddenly collapse on top of you if you're digging a hole, tunnel or piling it up beside you. It can cause crushing or suffocation."

The coastguard also highlighted the difficult procedure needed to extract someone stuck beneath sand.

"Sand rescues must be carried out gently to avoid adding pressure around a trapped casualty and to ensure they can breathe," the spokesperson said.

"A first line of rescuers sweeps back the sand by using their hands to avoid further injury to the person trapped.

"They are backed up by a second and third line moving the excavated material further away using whatever they can - buckets, spades and frisbees. This is to prevent the sand collapsing back into the hole."

The coastguard advised digging holes no deeper than waist height and filling them in once finished.

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