Two teen boys digging a sand hole at a park in Florida died when the hole collapsed and left them buried for more than an hour.
The teens were at Sportsman Park in Inverness, Florida, about 61 miles northwest of Orlando on Sunday when the 5-foot-deep hole they were digging in the sand collapsed, the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to ABC News.
The local medical examiners identified them as George Watts and Derrick Hubbard, both 14.
The boys were reported lost in the park at around 12:44 p.m. Sunday, and they were recovered within about 30 minutes. Authorities determined that they were trapped in the hole for more than an hour, according to ABC News.
Derrick was found unresponsive without a pulse and was pronounced dead at the hospital on Sunday. George was unconscious but still had a pulse. He was hospitalized, ultimately succumbing to his unspecified injuries Tuesday, according to WCJB-TV.
The boys were students at Inverness Middle School. In a statement on social media, the school said, “It is with great sadness that we inform our Charger community of a tragedy that occurred over the weekend involving two of our students following an off-campus incident. … We extend our heartfelt thoughts and support to the students, families, and all those impacted.”
Corey Edwards, who coached George and Derrick on a local flag football team, told WTVT-TV that “they were digging a hole. They were having fun, being adventurous, using their imagination. They’re doing things that we preach to kids that we want them to do and, unfortunately, this just turned into a tragedy.”
Mr. Edwards added, “Their teammates loved them. They were always leaders on the team.”
