A teenager on the Gold Coast had a lucky escape after becoming trapped in a collapsing sandbank at Broadbeach.
The incident, which occurred in the wake of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, serves as a stark reminder of the dangers posed by unstable cliffs and eroded beaches.
The boy and a friend were digging a hole in the sandbank when it suddenly gave way, burying him completely.
His friend immediately raised the alarm, prompting a frantic rescue effort by beachgoers and a lifeguard.
“It was just kind of like a scramble to get him out,” witness Kobi Uys said.
Another witness, Ari Hunt, described the frantic digging to free the trapped boy.
“We weren’t really sure where he was, there was just sand everywhere,” Hunt said.
“We were digging for a little bit and found his feet, they were kicking really frantically.”
Within minutes, the boy was pulled free from the sand, shaken but thankfully unharmed.
“As far as I know, the gentleman is completely fine, and went for a swim afterwards, and left the beach with no injuries at all,” Chief Lifeguard Will Ashley said.
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Ashley urged beachgoers to stay away from cliffs and avoid digging in the sand.
“Around those sand cliffs it is a dangerous area to be, even if you are underneath or at the top, it can fall down or underneath especially when you’re digging in around that area,” Ashley said.
“We just ask you to stay away.”
This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.
