BALD HEAD ISLAND (AP) — A bystander who found a snorkel likely saved the life of a teen who was buried in wet, packed sand on a North Carolina island and couldn't escape the incoming tide.
Authorities said the 16-year-old boy was buried neck-deep in tight sand on Bald Head Island, the Star-News of Wilmington reported today.
Public Safety Chief Chip Munna said the tide began flowing above the teen's nose.
Munna was not there Sunday but said that when his staff arrived, bystanders were trying to dig the teen out with plastic beach shovels. They had built sand walls to block the waves, and one person found a snorkel to help the boy breathe.
Munna said the snorkel saved the teen's life.
Emergency workers lifted the boy out of the hole. Munna said the boy was OK.
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