Warning after boy's sand dune death in the UK

An expert in Britain called today for an urgent alert to warn of the dangers of beach dunes after a schoolboy was killed when tons of sand collapsed on him.

Craig Owen, 16, from Wrexham, was buried when the huge dune fell in as he tunnelled on a beach in Pembrey.

An inquest in Llanelli, South Wales, heard that frantic efforts were made to free him when the tunnel collapsed on August 3.

The schoolboy was on a family holiday when tragedy struck. He and four other teenagers had decided to dig two holes in a dune using folding metal shovels. They then dug a connecting tunnel between the two holes, which Craig was in caved in.

The teenagers frantically tried to dig out their friend, managing to free the sand away from around his head and shoulders before the emergency services arrived. He was airlifted to a hospital in Swansea, where he was pronounced dead.

Speaking after the inquest, Professor Kenneth Pye, an independent forensic geologist, called for an urgent nationwide alert warning young adults and children of the potentially fatal dangers of digging into dunes.

“I think that it is an urgent matter and that something should be done as soon as possible, certainly before next summer,” he said.

A verdict of accidental death was recorded.