Emergency services were called to Viking Bay today (June 17) to a child who became trapped when a dug out sand hole collapsed.
Police, fire, paramedic, lifeguards and HM Coastguard Margate were in attendance at around 6.30pm.
Lifeguards were able to extract the youngster and it is understood he was not injured.
Kent Fire & Rescue Service was called at 6.18pm to assist South East Coast Ambulance (SECAmb) on The Parade, Broadstairs. One fire engine and the Water Safety Unit attended. The crew finished at the scene at 6.50pm.
A SECAmb spokesperson said: “SECAmb were called shortly after 6pm to reports of a person in need of medical attention after a sand hole had collapsed on them near The Parade in Broadstairs. Crews assessed and treated one patient at the scene before discharging them from our care.”
Although usually harmless, digging large holes can be dangerous if the sand caves in. Avoid digging tunnels or holes deeper than waist height.
Fill in any holes you dig before you leave the beach, to avoid injury to others.
I was working in the bank, which is now Costas Coffee, at the bottom of Broadstairs in the mid 90’s, and clearly remember the hot summer day when two boys dug a very deep hole in the sand which caved in on them. Even though every emergency team was present, it was impossible to save the boys and they suffocated. It was a terrible tragedy.
A friend has just told me that her friend’s son fell into a deep hole that had been dug when the tide was out but which filled with water when the tide came in and made it invisible. The boy was completely submerged but his mother managed to pull him out. However if she hadn’t seen what happened, he would have drowned. It is impossible to climb out of a sand hole because it just keeps caving in.
The time has come for a ban on digging deep holes in the sand and the extreme danger they cause clearly explained in notices.
Signs should go up around the beach to say Please Do not dig holes as they are dangerous and can cause injury. If caught digging holes you will be prosecuted.
Maybe parents should keep an eye on what their children are doing, as much fun the beach is it can also be deadly.