Latest news with #sandcollapse
The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
Teen, 17, who died on Italian beach after being buried alive when sand tunnel collapsed pictured
A TEENAGER who tragically died on a beach after being buried alive in a hole in the sand has been pictured. Riccardo Boni, 17, choked to death when a sand tunnel he built collapsed on him on a beach in north-west Italy. 4 4 Riccardo was on holiday with his family from Rome when he dug the one and a half meter deep hole at the Montalto di Castro beach. Emergency services were called to reports of the lifeless teenager who was visually impaired. His five-year-old brother reportedly raised the alarm, screaming to his mum: "Riccardo is under the sand." A swimmer who was nearby at the time of the incident told local news: "He had built a tunnel. He wanted to enter from one side and exit from the other. "But as he passed through, when he reached the centre, everything collapsed and the hole was completely covered. "You couldn't see anything anymore; you could have walked right through it and not noticed a thing." Another local added that there were no screams or sounds as the boy was buried "in a matter of moments". He said: "When the sand closes in on you, it's incredibly heavy. "It doesn't even let a little oxygen in, and it's not easy to extract people because it tends to collapse. A few minutes later, they die of suffocation." Police and an air ambulance were called to help pull the boy from the sand, but despite paramedics' best efforts, he was pronounced dead at the scene. Toy-Loving boy crawls into claw machine 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 way. "I want to offer my sincere condolences to this family, to whom we are all truly deeply connected." All public events have been suspended today to "join in silent embrace with the family". 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 a sign of respect, all public events scheduled for Friday, July 11, are suspended. The community of Montalto joins in silent embrace with the family." 4
The Sun
4 days ago
- The Sun
Distraught dad & beachgoers dug with bare hands for 40mins to find boy, 17, dead in collapsed sand tunnel teen had dug
THE dad of the 17-year-old boy who died after being buried alive in the sand is said to have dug with his bare hands to reach the teen. Riccardo Boni suffocated in a sand tunnel on a beach north of Rome on Thursday. 3 3 3 The family, who were at Montalto di Castro beach - 65 miles from the Italian capital, at first struggled to locate Riccardo. It took 40 minutes for family members to find the teen, according to local reports. Lifeguards and rescuers were called to join in on the frantic search. His five-year-old brother screamed: 'Riccardo is under the sand" - prompting the children's dad to sound the alarm. Two days earlier, the teen had travelled from Rome to Camping California - a camping ground in the beach town in northern Lazio - to spend the holidays with his parents, 14-year-old sister and two younger brothers, aged five and eight. The family had laid out their towels on the sand next to the camping ground when the tragedy took place at around 3 pm, according to local reports. Riccardo had started digging the hole in a somewhat secluded area of the beach with his siblings, who then became distracted and moved away. The teen is believed to have dug the tunnel to a depth of around five feet. A beachgoer told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera: 'He had built a tunnel but maybe when he was underneath, everything collapsed on him.' They added: 'You couldn't see anything from the beach, the hole was gone, no one could see that he was under there. Boy, 17, dies on beach after being buried alive in hole in sand he dug "Everyone was digging but the sand was heavy." Local prosecutors from the town of Civitavecchia and police have opened an investigation into the boy's death. Investigators will decide whether an autopsy should be carried out to determine the cause of death. Carabinieri police have interviewed family members and other witnesses. Montalto Mayor Emanuela Socciarelli told the news agency ANSA: "A tragedy that has left us all shocked. "It's unthinkable that a young man could lose his life in this way. "I want to offer my sincere condolences to this family, to whom we are all truly deeply connected." All public events have been suspended today to "join in silent embrace with the family". 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 a sign of respect, all public events scheduled for Friday, July 11, are suspended. "The community of Montalto joins in silent embrace with the family."
The Sun
5 days ago
- The Sun
Boy, 17, dies on beach after being buried alive in hole in sand he dug when it collapsed on top of him
A 17-YEAR-old boy has died on a beach after being buried alive in a hole in the sand. The teenager is believed to have suffocated to death in a hole he had dug on the beach after the sand collapsed on him. Emergency services were called to reports of the lifeless teenager on Montalto di Castro beach, in north west Italy yesterday. It's believed the boy began digging the hole with his brothers near the California campsite in the Viterbo province. After his two brothers left him digging, his father awoke from his nap and began an urgent hunt for the missing teenager. "A tragedy that has left us all shocked," Montalto Mayor Emanuela Socciarelli told ANSA. "It's unthinkable that a young man could lose his life in this way. I want to offer my sincere condolences to this family, to whom we are all truly deeply connected." 1
