A 7-year-old girl died and a 9-year-old boy was hospitalized after being trapped in a sand hole collapse on a Florida beach

By Melissa Alonso and Brammhi Balarajan, CNN

(CNN) — A 7-year-old girl died and her 9-year-old brother was hospitalized after they became trapped in a sand hole on a Florida beach Tuesday, according to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office.

The children were digging a hole on a beach in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea when they became trapped in the sand around 3 p.m., the office said in a news release.

The hole was 6-feet deep and collapsed on the children, a Broward Sheriff Fire spokesperson told CNN affiliate WFOR.

According to police dispatch, about 20 people were digging on scene, trying to find and rescue the children.

The boy was submerged up to his neck and the girl was buried when authorities pulled them out, CNN affiliate WFOR said.

Paramedics took the children to the hospital, but the girl was later pronounced dead, the news release said.

The boy is recovering at Broward Health Medical Center and is in stable condition, according to an official who spoke to WFOR.

The sheriff’s office said the children and their parents were on vacation from Indiana, and that the incident remains under investigation.

CNN has reached out to the sheriff’s office, the sheriff’s fire rescue department and other area agencies for information.

The American Lifeguard Association advises beachgoers to not to dig holes deeper than knee-level, spokesperson Wyatt Werneth told CNN.

“When we’re dealing with a tragedy, a lifeguard can prevent it before it becomes a problem,” Werneth said.

He added beachgoers should make sure to leave the beach as they found it – so if they dig a hole, fill it back up with sand before leaving.

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