The girl and her brother were trapped when their sand hole collapsed

Published Feb 22, 2024, 07:34:46 GMTLast updated Feb 22, 2024, 08:59:43 GMT

A seven-year-old girl died after she and her nine-year-old brother were buried alive in a sand hole they had been digging on a beach in Florida.

The children had been playing on a beach in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea when they became trapped in the sand as it collapsed on them, according to CBS.

Authorities said that the children became trapped at around 3pm on Tuesday (20 February), and that witnesses said the hole was around five to six feet deep when the sand collapsed.

Seven-year-old Sloan Mattingly was completely buried, while her brother Maddox was buried up to his neck in the sand, and when the emergency services arrived they found around 20 people on the beach digging to rescue the children.

Paramedics rushed the pair to hospital but the girl was later pronounced dead, while her brother is recovering at Broward Health Medical Center in a stable condition.

CBS Miami

CNN reported that Broward County Sheriff’s Office said that the children were part of a family from Indiana and were on vacation in Florida.

The incident remains under investigation by the authorities, who first arrived on the scene of the tragic incident around four minutes after the first emergency calls were made.

The children’s school also issued a statement yesterday (21 February) as reported by the Daily Mail offering their condolences to the family and asking others to keep them in their thoughts.

It said: “It is with a heavy heart that I write this letting you know we lost a precious member of the Lafayette Meadows school family.

“Sloan Mattingly was a bright, sweet, loving 1st grade student in Ms. Vanbrocklin’s class. Sloan passed away on Tuesday. We will be talking with Ms. Vanbrocklin’s class, as well as Ms. Kilbourne’s class, as Sloan’s brother is a member of that classroom, on Thursday.

“Our administration team and counselors have support resources available for any student or staff member who is in need during this time of loss.

CBS Miami

“Please keep the Mattingly family in your thoughts and prayers. They have requested privacy at this time. We will pass along any further information the family wishes to share.”

Ocean rescue experts have criticised the lack of lifeguards on the beach who might have been able to stop the children from digging the hole before it became too deep.

As per the Tampa Bay Times, the beach at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea did not have lifeguards but on other beaches in the area there are lifeguards who are under instruction to stop people from digging holes more than two feet deep.

LADbible has contacted Broward County Sheriff’s Office for further comment.Featured Image Credit: CBS

Topics: US News

Joe Harker

Harrowing 911 audio reveals beachgoers trying to rescue seven-year-old from sand hole before she tragically died

A 911 call placed to get help revealed that many people tried to help dig the children out

Joe Harker

Published Feb 22, 2024, 09:25:56 GMTLast updated Feb 22, 2024, 09:30:58 GMT

The audio of a 911 call has been released of a tragic incident where a seven-year-old

She then told the 911 dispatcher that there were ‘a bunch of people trying to dig’ and explained that the children’s father ‘started yelling for help’ as his kids were trapped in the sand.Play

The caller then said she could hear the seven-year-old’s mother shouting ‘my daughter is in there’ and that ‘everybody’s screaming’.

“They do not see her head, they do not see her,” she said to the dispatcher after being told that the emergency services were en route.

At was at this point that members of Broward County Sheriff’s Office arrived, as the caller said: “Oh this mother, oh this is awful.”

Per the Tampa Bay Times, there has been criticism of the beach by ocean rescue experts, who say there was no lifeguard present on the beach as it was not staffed.

Other beaches in the area have lifeguards who are instructed to stop people from digging holes deeper than two feet, and to fill in their holes after they are done digging them.

According to Broward County Sheriff’s Office, the children were part of an Indiana family who had been on vacation in Florida.

Their mother Therese told CBS News in a statement: “A freak accident happened yesterday while we are here on vacation and it took away our greatest 7.5 years.

“Don’t tell us you’re sorry for our loss… don’t do that to us. We experienced the purest human being ever and we are forever changed by her.

“We love you beyond any stretch of the imagination. Our sweet Sloan. What we would give.”

An investigation into the incident is being handled by the sheriff’s office and remains ongoing.

LADbible has contacted Broward County Sheriff’s Office for further comment.Featured Image Credit: CBS Miami

Topics: US News