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LINCOLN CITY, Ore. (AP) — A 9-year-old girl died when a sand hole collapsed on her at a beach, police in the Oregon coastal town of Lincoln City said.
Firefighters and police responded shortly after 5 p.m. Friday and found a group of people trying to dig the girl out, Lt. Jerry Palmer said. Officers helped extract the girl, who was identified Saturday as Isabel Grace Franks, from a large hole.
Police began CPR after Isabel was pulled free, unconscious and not breathing. North Lincoln Fire and Rescue and ambulance medical teams took over CPR, and Isabel was taken to a hospital.
Isabel and her family were visiting the coast from Sandy, Oregon, which is 28 miles southeast of Portland, Palmer said.
Witnesses told KATU-TV that the girl helped dig the hole along with her siblings and other friends at the beach located behind the Seagull Beach Front Motel.
The sand caved after the girl sat down in the hole to see how deep it was.
It was heart wrenching. You could see that people were trying and, I don't even know what to say. It was awful.
–Tracey Dudley, witness
"At first we thought, you know, it was just kids, but it was like screaming and screaming and screaming," witness Tracey Dudley said.
Dudley called 9-1-1 and watched people desperately try to dig the child out.
"Well, the people were digging and digging and digging, and it looked like the sand kept collapsing," Dudley said.
North Lincoln Fire spokesman Jim Kusz said this type of incident has happened before, but it's rare. Mourners placed flowers and candles at the hole that's now been filled.
"It was heart wrenching," Dudley said. "You could see that people were trying and, I don't even know what to say. It was awful."
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