A 13-year-old boy from Utah died of his injuries a day after a sand dune he was digging collapsed and buried him in a state park, it was reported on Monday.
A boy was digging a tunnel in a dune in Coral-Pink Sand Dunes State Park in southern Utah when he crashed into it Saturday night, park rangers said.
A family member warned authorities, and rangers arrived to dig up the boy from what they said was about 6 1/2 feet (2 meters) of sand.
After Kane County Sheriff’s Rangers and Deputy Sheriffs rescued him, found that he had a pulse and performed CPR, the boy was taken to St. George’s Hospital and then to the Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City. He died there Sunday after brain activity did not resume, the Utah State Parks Division said.
The boy, Ian Spendlow, was from Santa Clara, a small town about 65 miles (105 kilometers) from Coral-Pink Sand Dunes State Park, officials said Monday.
Travelers and SUVs flock to a park near the Utah-Arizona border for a bright hue of its warm pink sand, which is made of eroding Navajo sandstone.
Devan Chavez, a spokesman for the Parks Agency, said he was unaware of any similar incidents in the coral pink sand dunes, but in 2012 another teenager died after being trapped under the collapsed sand in Snow Canyon State Park. about 50 miles. (80 kilometers) in the north-west.
An investigation into Saturday’s dune crash continues. The Rangers said it happened quickly and they don’t know how long the boy was buried.
Chavez expressed his condolences to the Spendlow family and urged visitors to stay safe, wear helmets or life jackets and warn others about vacation plans in state parks.
“Always relax with a friend or someone who can help you, or go for help. And always let someone in the area know where you are going and what your plan is, ”he said.
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