EXPERTS have warned beachgoers not to do a common activity that has previously proved to be fatal. Every year, thousands of Brits flock to the beach, often unaware of the dangers of digging deep holes. Tourists should never dig deeper than the knee height of the shortest person in their group - with two feet being the maximum depth, according to experts.
In February, a seven-year-old girl died after a five-foot hole she and her brother dug in the sand on a Florida beach collapsed on her, burying her alive. Despite several people attempting to rescue her, the hole continued to collapse, and more sand poured in. Escaping from a collapsed sand hole is almost impossible.
Digging, tunnelling, jumping and falling into holes have all led to collapses. Research suggests that more people have died of sand burial suffocation than shark attacks, according to the coastal science expert. From 1997 to 2007, there were 31 deaths, mostly children, in the US due to collapsing sand holes.
During the same period, 21 people were buried under the sand but survived, many requiring CPR . Victims of sand burial suffocation ages tend to range from 3 to 21, the expert claimed. Sand is most stable when wet due to the surface tension between water and sand grains.
A hole in the beach remains secure as long as the sand is moist. Once it dries, the surface tension is lost and the hole collapses. It can also collapse if someone stands next to it, adding extra weight.
The heavy grains of sand fill the open .
