Boy Buried In Sand Hill Collapse

BOSTON TWP. (WWJ/AP) - A 11-year-old boy remains hospitalized following a freak accident over the weekend.

Authorities said the child was airlifted from the scene after he was buried for up to about 20 minutes under a collapsed sand hill in Ionia County.

Volunteer firefighter Layne See of the Saranac Community Fire Department told WOOD-TV that the boy and another child were digging tunnels Sunday in the sand hill in Boston Township when the collapse happened. He said the boy was breathing when taken to a hospital by helicopter.

The Saranac Community Fire Department says Monday morning that the boy last was listed in stable condition.

The accident happened on private property about 25 miles east of Grand Rapids.

The Grand Rapids Press reports firefighters used shovels and their hands to dig.

The fire department says the boy was found covered by about a foot of sand. He was reportedly was in a seated position, possibly creating a pocket of air for him to breathe.

The boy was listed in stable condition Monday afternoon at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital. His name has not been released.

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