A 17-year-old boy from Rome died on Thursday after being buried alive when the walls of a sand hole he had been digging collapsed on a beach north of Rome.
Riccardo Boni was on holiday with his father and two younger siblings at the public beach in Montalto di Castro, on the Lazio coast. The family had spent the morning swimming before Riccardo began digging a large hole in the sand during the afternoon.
According to reports, the teenager was digging with his siblings while their father rested under an umbrella nearby. The hole reached a depth of approximately 1.5 metres. At some point, the younger children walked away towards the shoreline, leaving Riccardo alone.
Shortly afterwards, the walls of the hole caved in, trapping the 17-year-old beneath the sand. No one on the beach appeared to notice the incident until Riccardo’s father, realising his son was missing, asked the younger children where he had gone.
When they pointed to the digging site, the father rushed over and began frantically digging. Lifeguards and other beachgoers quickly joined him. After approximately 40 minutes of desperate effort, they uncovered Riccardo’s lifeless body.
Emergency services arrived quickly, including an air ambulance that landed on the beach. Medics attempted resuscitation, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
A police investigation is now under way to establish the precise circumstances of the fatal accident.
Local authorities have renewed warnings about the dangers of digging deep holes in the sand, especially without supervision or proper safety precautions.
