'I thought I was going to die': Teenager buried alive on California beach relives the moment sand tunnel he built caved in



17-year-old Matt Mina saved after he is buried alive seven feet under ground

Trapped after 'tunnelling' under the sand with his friends



Beach goers came together to fight to save the boy in dramatic show of community



Mina speaks of his desperate moments struggling for life alone underground

Mother thanks the crowd for saving her son



Authorities warn against the dangers of tunnelling

A teenage boy who survived being buried alive on a California beach for half an hour has said he 'thought he was going to die'.



Dozens of holidaymakers pitched in to try to dig out 17-year-old Matt Mina, who was stuck seven foot deep after a tunnel he had been digging in the sand collapsed, trapping him.

Despite the desperate efforts to free the trapped sand kept pouring back into the huge hole.

Eventually firefighters managed to drag him out and although he was unconscious at first he has since made a remarkable recovery.

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People dig frantically to pull Matt Mina from the sand

Saved: The boy is pulled out from beneath the sand, unconscious but alive

Close call: The teenager who was buried in 6 feet of sand while digging a trench on a California beach said Thursday he was certain he would die Desperate: People on the beach dig in to try to save the boy, shovelling away the sand

He told msnbc: 'I was just really scared. I didn't know if anyone could hear me when I screamed for help... Once you're six feet under you can't hear anything.



'I threw my head around to try make some room because my arms were behind me.

'I was just really scared. I didn't know if anyone could hear me when I screamed for help... Once you're six feet under you can't hear anything'



Matt Mina



'I was falling in and out [of consciousness]. I thought I was going to die.

'I want to thank everyone... that helped me stay alive. I wanted to give a shout out to them and say thank you.'

When asked if his digging days are now over, Mina added: 'For now, definitely.'

Mina is in a good condition today after the horrific accident on Newport Beach at about 3.40pm yesterday.

Authorities said the boy had dug between five to seven feet below the surface of the beach when the surrounding sand caved in on him.

He remained buried for almost 30 minutes while paramedics dug him out.

A large crowd gathered as people dug desperately around the teenager's body

Miraculous; Matt Mina is lucky to be alive after the half hour ordeal

Dramatic video footage charts the desperate attempts by other people on the beach to save Mina.

Dozens of sunbathers gathered with shovels and other items they could use to dig as they frantically tried to remove the sand on top of the teen.

When authorities eventually succeeded in rescuing him, the crowd erupted in cheers while the boy was rushed to Hoag Hospital in Orange County.

Pitching in: Passers-by use any means to try to save the trapped teen

Against the odds: People came together to help on the beach

Digging deep: The community of sunbathers came together to drag the boy out

Police said Mina had been digging tunnels with friends several feet under the surface of the beach.

They tried to make the tunnels meet before the sand toppled on top of one of them.

The alarm was raised when a family member called a lifeguard for help.

Mina spoke today of his terrifying ordeal under ground, explaining how he screamed for help although he knew no one could hear him.

The 17-year-old said he managed to stay alive by moving his head from side to side to create an air bubble. his hands were trapped behind him by the weight of the sand.

Almost: Authorities manage to grab the boy, as they pull him to safety

Got him! The teen collapses on the floor - but he is now doing well in hospital

Mr Mina's mother said thank you to those who had chipped in to save her son.



'I just want everyone to know from the bottom of my heart how grateful we are that he's alive,' Melissa Mina, from Free Union, said.

'If it weren't for the bystanders, they wouldn't have gotten him out. ... I wish could go out there and hug everyone there that was digging.'

Melissa Mina said she got a call from her sister-in-law Wednesday evening while Matt Mina was in a hospital emergency room.

She said she wasn't aware of how big the hole was until she saw it on TV.

'When I finally spoke to Matt last night I asked, "How does it feel to be buried alive?" He said: "Different, mom. You have no idea how heavy the sand was",' she said.

The accident happened while Matt was visiting an aunt and uncle.

Safe: Matt Mina, 17, is rushed to hospital after his dramatic seaside rescue

Taken care of: Matt Mina owes everything to the actions of those around him on the beach and the emergency responders who quickly arrived

'I said when he left I was sending guardian angels to protect him,' the teen's mother said.

She said her son grew up in Hawaii for a time and had dug in sand previously.

'What would possess kids to do this? I hope they realise that this is dangerous to do,' she added.

Newport Beach resident Skip Snead told the Orange County Register about 40 people were digging frantically to save the boy.

'Everybody was thinking, "They're going to pull up a dead body,"' he said.

He described the moment Mina was dragged out alive. 'Everyone went crazy,' he said. 'I think he was in shock.'

Fire officials have since warned parents not to let their children dig deep at the beach because the sand is unstable.

Applause: A crowd who had watched the rescue cheer when the boy is finally found

Sink hole: This aerial shot shows just how wide the area that collapsed on the boy was

Authorities said teens building tunnels at the beach have caused many injuries this summer alone across the country. In one case near Watsonville, a boy trapped under the sand suffered brain damage.

'This gentleman [Mina] was about seven feet below the surface of the sand,' Newport Beach Fire Department Battalion Chief Jeff Boyles told KTLA News. 'He was doing what we call tunneling, which is a very dangerous operation. The sand collapsed on him, essentially burying him alive.'

Chief Boyles added that such incidents have a 'high fatality rate'.

'The fact that he's still alive today - I think he has a lot to be owed to luck, and to the great efforts of the lifeguards and fire personnel that dug him out.'







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