Man buried alive in Australian beach in critical condition
A 25-year-old man remains in critical condition after he was buried alive in a 1.5m-deep hole – which was dug to cook a pig – at a beach in Australia.
According to Australian media outlets, Mr Josh Taylor fell head first into the hole he and his friends were digging at Bribie Island in Queensland in the afternoon of Dec 2.
The friends were cooking a pig in an earth overn, a style similar to that of New Zealand’s indigenous group Maori, which involves digging a pit in the ground to cook meat and vegetables, according to media reports.
Mr Taylor had no pulse after more than 15 men pulled him from under the sand, and he sustained severe injuries while being forcefully pulled out of the hole.
One of the men, known as Mr Nathan, told Australian TV news outlet 7News that Mr Taylor fell head first into the hole when the sand beneath him gave way after he got off a chair.
The sand then collapsed around Mr Taylor, burying him.
“When I first went up to the hole, I couldn’t even see his foot. That’s how deep it was.
“All of his family were screaming at us, telling us to help, telling us to get rope so we could pull him out,” said Mr Nathan, who was leaving the beach at the time of the incident.
Rangers and passers-by in the area performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation until he regained his pulse 45 minutes later, reported NCA Newswire.
Mr Taylor was then airlifted to Princess Alexandra Hospital, where he remains in critical but stable condition at the intensive care unit.
A fund-raiser was set up for Mr Taylor’s family on Dec 5. Its organiser, Ms Georgia Hoffmann, described Mr Taylor as a “vibrant and adventurous soul who has brought so much joy to those around him”.
“His family is now facing an incredibly challenging journey ahead,” said Ms Hoffmann.
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