A teenage boy died after a 1.5m hole he dug on an Italian beach collapsed as he crawled into it.
The 17-year-old, named as Riccardo, is believed to have suffocated under the burden of the sand on the beach in Montalto di Castro, 56 miles north of Rome.
A swimmer who was nearby when the tragedy happened, told local news: ‘He had built a tunnel. He desired to enter from one side and exit from the opposite.
‘But as he passed through, when he reached the centre, every thing collapsed and the opening was completely covered.
‘You couldn’t see anything anymore, you could possibly have walked all through it and never noticed a thing.’
Meanwhile a neighborhood said there have been no screams or sounds because the boy was buried ‘in a matter of moments’
‘When the sand closes in on you, it’s incredibly heavy,’ he added.
‘It doesn’t even let slightly oxygen in, and it’s difficult to extract people since it tends to collapse. A number of minutes later, they die of suffocation.’
The boy, from Rome, had been on holiday together with his family and had been fidgeting with his younger siblings, aged three and eight, while their father napped.
The younger children left the teenager to proceed digging and when the daddy realised he was missing, an urgent hunt was launched.
The daddy, swimmers and lifeguards began digging, before emergency services arrived and helped pull the boy from the sand.
Nevertheless it was too late, and he was sadly pronounced dead on the scene.
Montalto Mayor Emanuela Socciarelli told ANSA: ‘A tragedy that has left us all shocked.
‘It’s unthinkable that a young man could lose his life in this manner.
‘I need to supply my sincere condolences to this family, to whom we’re all truly deeply connected.’
The local authorities said: ‘Deepest condolences for the tragic passing of the young man. In such a time of great grief, we extend our deepest sympathies to the boy’s parents and family, affected by this terrible tragedy.
‘As an indication of respect, all public events scheduled for Friday, July 11, are suspended. The community of Montalto joins in silent embrace with the family.’
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