A young girl has died after being buried in sand on a beach in Florida.

She was digging a deep hole with a little boy when it collapsed on Tuesday.

Emergency crews arrived at the scene and found the boy buried up to his chest in sand, while the girl was trapped underneath.

Image:
A section of the beach was cordoned off. Pic: South Florida Sun-Sentinel/AP

Officials estimate the hole was about 1.8m (6ft) deep when it collapsed at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea.

Rescuers used support boards to try and prevent more sand from collapsing in, and used shovels to dig the children out.

It is unclear how long they were buried.

According to NBC Miami, the seven-year-old boy is in a critical condition – and the girl who died was five years old.

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