Man dies in Half Moon Bay after beach hole collapses

Authorities say a young man died after a hole that he dug on a Northern California beach collapsed and trapped him in sand for at least five minutes.

CalFire Coastside Capt. Jonathan Cox said Tuesday the man was unconscious by the time firefighters arrived at Francis State Beach in Half Moon Bay.

Cox said the man dug a roughly 10-foot-deep hole, and was standing in it around 5:30 p.m. Monday when the sand collapsed around him. About 30 people, including the man’s friends and bystanders, frantically dug sand to expose his head.

Cox said that by the time rescuers arrived, the man was unconscious. He said they pulled him from the sand in about 35 minutes.

Paramedics tried to resuscitate the man, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.