Boy, 17, buried alive and killed in beach horror as hole in sand collapses onto him

A teenage boy has died on a beach after a hole he was in collapsed and buried him alive.

The youngster named as Riccardo was on holiday at the beach at Montalto di Castro in Italy with his family when the accident happened.

He had dug the one and a half meter deep hole, as he played with his two younger siblings, aged three and eight, while their dad was taking a nap.

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The two younger children had left the older boy to his digging but an urgent hunt was launched for the teenager at around 3pm when the family discovered he was missing.

The dad, swimmers and lifeguards all began digging with their hands while they waited for emergency services to arrive.

Police and an air ambulance were called to help pull the boy from the sand but the 17 year old was pronounced dead at the scene.

An eyewitness who had been swimming at the coast told the local news: "He had built a tunnel. He wanted to enter from one side and exit from the other.

"But as he passed through, when he reached the centre, everything collapsed and the hole was completely covered.

"You couldn't see anything anymore, you could have walked right through it and not noticed a thing."

The local mayor Emanuela Socciarelli told reporters: "A tragedy that has left us all shocked. It's unthinkable that a young man could lose his life in this way.

"I want to offer my sincere condolences to this family, to whom we are all truly deeply connected."