Man ‘lucky to be alive’ after he got into a 6ft hole at a beach and it collapsed

An 18-year-old man was buried on a beach after a 6ft (2m) hole he’d dug collapsed in on top of him—and rescuers say he is “very lucky” to be alive.

The public and emergency services worked together to dig the man out of the hole at Newquay’s Fistral Beach in Cornwall.

According to the BBC, stretchers and surfboards were used to secure the hole around the young man. He was fortunately treated in an ambulance then taken to the hospital and has since been released.

The outlet also reports that he found himself trapped at 5.15pm and the emergency services including HM Coastguard, fire, police, ambulances, RNLI lifeguards, and beach visitors all helped out in the incredible rescue.

The lifeguards present on the beach raised the alarm as they contacted Falmouth Coastguard, which triggered a chain reaction that deployed rescue teams from Newquay and Padstow.

Once the Cornwall Fire and Rescue service made it to the scene, the man was standing upright as lifeguards managed to get his face out of the sand.

It is believed that he will make a full recovery.

In a tweet, the Newquay Community Fire Station released some details about the rescue saying the man “luckily survived” due to everyone’s efforts. They also noted that we should “think about the dangers around digging holes on beaches!”

People in the comments were relieved and happy to know that the young man was able to get out of such a dangerous situation.

“Excellent work by all involved,” one wrote.

“Glad he is ok. A hazard that many don’t realise can go wrong very quickly,” another added.

Newquay Police also provided Indy100 with a statement about the rescue, saying, “Police were called by the Coastguard at 5.30pm last night (1 July) to Fistral beach following reports that sand had collapsed onto a male causing him to become trapped. Emergency services and members of the public removed him from the hole and he was left in the care of the ambulance service.”

Throughout the years, the coastguard has actively shed light on the consequences that can occur from digging under the sand at beaches.

In 2018 a 14-year-old boy was said to be “extremely lucky to escape” after getting stuck up to the neck in a 6ft deep hole that also collapsed in Newquay.

He was digging in the sand when the hole tumbled and trapped him up to the height of his neck.

Indy100 also reached out to Cornwall Council for further comment.