MI Boy, 9, Rescued From Collapsed Sand Dune: Officials

OCEANA COUNTY, MI — A 9-year-old boy is recovering after a sand dune collapsed on top of him last week in northern Michigan, officials said.

The incident happened at 9:29 p.m. last Friday at Silver Lake in Oceana County, officials said.

Officials said the boy was digging a hole when a sand dune collapsed and covered him in 5 feet of sand for more than five minutes.

Officials and bystanders dug the child out of the sand, officials said.

Officials said the child was not breathing and did not have a pulse. Officials immediately began performing CPR and, after 70-80 compressions, the child started breathing and moving his arms and regained color, officials said.

Officials took the boy to a nearby hospital and said they learned Sunday that the child had been released and was recovering at home, officials said.

"We want visitors of all ages to enjoy Michigan’s magnificent natural resources, including the dunes, but with great care and awareness," Chief of Southern Field Operations for the DNR Parks and Recreation Division Scott Pratt said. "For your safety and the safety of others, remember that digging deep holes is not allowed. Collapsing sand can be extremely dangerous, even fatal. Please keep holes shallow, fill them in before leaving and never allow unsupervised digging."

Officials said the 9-year-old boy is from Fenton and was visiting the sand dunes with his family to watch the fireworks.