A 35-year-old man was buried under a dune on a beach in northeastern Florida when a tunnel he was excavating collapsed and is now in critical condition in a hospital, local media reported on Monday.
Lee Goggin, of Texas, was spending the day at Crescent Beach, near San Agustin, with his wife, three children and other family members when the accident occurred on Sunday, local channel 10 reported.
According to the sheriffs in the area, the family saw the dune fall on Goggin, who was buried under about 4 feet (1.20 meters) of compact sand.
His family tried desperately to bring him to the surface by digging with his hands and helping himself with a board to take waves, but when they could not reach it, they called the emergency telephone number.
The rescue team was finally able to free Goggin and tried to revive him in the place, but seeing the seriousness of his condition, he was transferred to a nearby hospital.