A Korean exchange student died in a quicksand pit and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital on Wednesday after the sides of a deep hole in the sand collapsed on him at Oxnard Beach Park.
Mingyu Sang, 19, died from injuries he sustained on the California beach after being trapped for approximately 15 minutes in a sand pit. The Korean foreign exchange student was having some fun with his friends at Oxnard Beach Park Wednesday afternoon when they decided to dig a sand pit which was 6-feet deep. Unfortunately, tragedy struck as the student was at the bottom of the reportedly six-foot deep sand pit when it collapsed in on him.
Firefighters arrived and immediately began digging with tools and hands, but it took 15 minutes to free him. While desperate attempts were made to save the student from the collapsed sand pit, he passed away a short time later. CPR was performed on the man as he was taken to Ventura County Medical Center, but he was declared dead at the hospital.
"I think the kids were just having fun on the beach. There was a big group of them down there. They were taking pictures of each other and from what I understand the individual was laying back in the pit and taking pictures of his fellow students and that's when it sloughed and came in on him," said Battalion Chief Darwin Base of the Oxnard Fire Department, according to MSNBC.
The Korean exchange student lived with a family in the Stevenson Ranch area and attended The Master's College.
Sandpit collapse deaths are on the rise and many people are being injured as beach-goers flock to coastal parks and destinations. It's important to have an escape plan if possible when digging pits. Police officials are cautioning other students or any other beach goers to not do this in the future as sand poses a dangerous and often times, unpredictable, threat.
