Harrowing footage captured the moment officials and good Samaritans raced against time to pull out a 16-year-old girl trapped in a deep sand hole.
The dramatic incident occurred at Mission Beach in San Diego around 4:50 p.m. Tuesday, just an hour before high tide begins.
Witnesses described the harrowing scene as the teenager found herself buried six to eight feet deep as the sand around her collapsed, leaving only her head and arms visible.
“I was really scared for her because she was down there,” said Richard Mastan, one of the bystanders who joined the effort. Fox5.
The teenager’s friends began digging without any luck. After about 15 minutes, they called the nearest lifeguards, who raised the emergency alert for the ditch and brought in teams of officers.
The dramatic incident occurred at Mission Beach in San Diego around 4:50 p.m. Tuesday, just an hour before high tide begins.
Witnesses described the harrowing scene as the teenager found herself buried 6 to 8 feet deep as the sand around her collapsed, leaving only her head and arms visible.
“We saw that she was buried up to her neck, we could just see her head and her arms sticking out,” San Diego Lifeguard Lt. Jacob Magness told the outlet.
The initial rescue attempt was unsuccessful, he said, so the joint excavation effort had to begin.
“Since I already had a shovel in my hand, they could say ‘don’t bother that guy, let him keep digging,’ so I was digging like crazy,” Mastan said.
After an intense 20-minute operation, the teenager emerged from the sand hole, apparently unharmed.
Miraculously, the 16-year-old was not injured. Rescuers escorted her to a stretcher before paramedics examined her and handed her over to her parents.
After an intense 20-minute operation, the teenager emerged from the sand hole and appeared to be uninjured. Rescuers quickly helped her onto a stretcher and into a waiting paramedic truck for evaluation.
“Since I already had a shovel in my hand, they could say ‘don’t bother that guy, let him keep digging,’ so I was digging like crazy,” said good Samaritan Richard Mastan.
Locals highlighted the dangers of digging deep holes in the sand.
“I was worried about him drowning, but apparently you have to worry about the sand too,” witness Michael Valasquez told Fox 5.
Between three and five children die each year in the United States when a sand pit they are digging collapses on them, according to a 2007 study, and many others suffer serious injuries.
Witnesses expressed their admiration for the quick response and teamwork demonstrated during the rescue.
“Thank you for all the support you’ve given us, we wish we could be like you more often,” said witness Noah Gastelum.
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