A teenage boy trapped up to his chest in a sand hole on Exmouth beach sparked a major rescue as the emergency services and public battled to save him from the incoming tide.
Beach-goers used their hands, buckets, spades and whatever they could find, to dig away sand as seawater started lapping at the boy’s face on Thursday teatime (June1).
Exmouth firefighters formed a ring around the teenager and ‘dug like hell’ to free him from the ‘quicksand’ hole.
The boy, who was in shock after his ordeal, and shivering from cold, was taken to hospital by ambulance. It is believed he had spent the day on the beach with friends.
An Exmouth eyewitness, who did not want to be named, said: “There were so many people, members of the public, trying to get this lad out.
“This guy was up to his chest, he was in that far. Then the fire brigade turned up. They got well stuck in. Initially it was chaos, then the emergency services arrived and took over.
“The sea was at high tide. It wasn’t going to come in any further, but it was lapping at his face.
“The fire brigade put a mask on him to help him breathe until the tide receded. If it had got worse, he could have drowned.
He added: “Members of the public were using whatever they could to build a barrier around the lad with the sand with whatever they could get, to stop the water coming in further.
“They weren’t aware it was high tide and the water wouldn’t come in any further. They thought he would drown.
“Seven or eight fire officers were digging like hell with shovels to get the sand out from around him.
“There were people behind them trying to move the sand back. It was ever-decreasing circles around the boy.
“He was panicking. He had gone into shock and when they got him out, he was shivering like hell and trying to stand up.
“You could see they were concerned for him, then they took him away.”
Exmouth firefighters, who in 2022 carried out a training session on the beach to prepare for collapsed sand hole rescues, said Thursday’s success had been a ‘team effort’ praising the public and the ‘quick-thinking’ of a passing retired fire officer who made ‘some life-saving decisions’.
An Exmouth fire station spokesperson said: “This incident was made even more severe by the rising tide and quicksand effect of the sand and water.”
Firefighters thanked all who helped, listened to advice and cleared the area for the emergency services.
Paul Howell, from Exmouth Coastguard Rescue Team, said the emergency services cleared the immediate area and fire crews set up a system to dig the boy free.
He said: “There was a set of people in three circles around the casualty trying to shift all the sand out, moving it from one place to another. It was constant.
“There were four or five firefighters digging the casualty out. Around the firefighters there was a group of people pulling the sand back that had been dug out by the firefighters. Behind them there was another ring of people digging away to stop that sand from going back in the hole again.”
Mr Howell said the teenager had been at risk of falling foul to the effects of hydrostatic pressure after his release from the tight sand hole.
He said: “If your body goes into hydrostatic squeeze, it can be fatal. If you are stuck in sand your body goes into overdrive. Your blood goes to your core to protect your major organs. When you are released the sudden rush of blood returning to other parts of your body can cause a heart attack.”
Beach-goers watched on in shock when they realised the boy was trapped and the tide was incoming.
Many took to social media to described a sand barrier built by members of the public keen to help keep the water from ‘lapping up around’ the boy.
The first helpers on the scene dug a sand wall, but were thwarted when ‘the tide came in very quickly and the wet sand wrapped around him like concrete’.
One family, who described what they saw as ‘the scariest thing ever’ used a trowel to dig away at the sand, shouted for all to bring buckets and spades to help, then ran to get a snorkel for the lad as the water rose.
Helpers involved in the early dig attempts ‘looked in shock’ as the rescue went on.
Beachgoers used surfboards, inflatable lilos and tents in a bid to hold back water from the trapped teenager.
‘Dozens’ tried to dig him out, but the sand hole quickly refilled as fast as it was removed, eye witnesses said.
The emergency services were called to Exmouth beach, in front of the clocktower, at around 5pm.
Red and Green watch crews and the town’s on-call firefighters, all from Exmouth fire station, were joined in the rescue by Exmouth, Beer and Dawlish Coastguard Rescue Teams, RNLI lifeboats and lifeguards, the ambulance service, air ambulance, police and an on-call doctor.
A Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service (DSFRS) spokesperson confirmed crews were called to the beach at 5pm where a man was trapped in sand, with an incoming tide.
The DSFRS spokesperson said: “We would urge visitors to the beach to be aware of the dangers of digging deep holes in the sand due to the risk of collapse, as well as being aware of local tide times.
“We want to thank everyone who helped to bring about a positive result to this incident, and wish the person involved a speedy recovery.”
