Skip to main content
Snow icon
24º

Teen dies after falling into hole, being trapped under sand at Outer Banks beach

17-year-old boy was from Virginia

Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Outer Banks Between Hatteras and Frisco, North Carolina (Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0/Wikipedia Commons)

MANTEO, N.C. – A teenager died after falling through a hole and being trapped under the sand at a beach in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Officials at Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina reported responding to a 911 call about a teenager being trapper in a hole on Saturday afternoon.

Recommended Videos



Officials said the hole was dug in a back-dune area behind the primary dune and not visible from the beachfront.

Prior to arriving on scene, family and friends went looking for the teenager and found him buried under several feet of sand, apparently caused by portions of the adjacent dune collapsing into the hole, according to Seashore.

Rangers worked with family members to extract the teen while simultaneously performing CPR. Resuscitation efforts were not successful.

The incident remains under investigation.

“Cape Hatteras National Seashore offers our condolences to his family and friends,” said David Hallac, superintendent, National Parks of Eastern North Carolina. “We urge visitors not to dig deep holes on the beach due to the danger they present to beachgoers and emergency response staff.”

Cape Hatteras National Seashore preserves a portion of the Outer Banks of North Carolina from Bodie Island to Ocracoke Island, stretching about 70 miles.


About the Author
Ken Haddad headshot

Ken Haddad has been with Local 4/ClickOnDetroit since 2013. He helps lead news coverage and content across broadcast and digital platforms. He's from the Metro Detroit area, and loves covering important news (and sports) in his hometown.