A family vacation turned tragic when a 17-year-old boy was killed after a sand tunnel he was digging on a beach near Rome collapsed, burying him alive. The incident occurred on Thursday, July 10, in Montalto di Castro, Italy, during a family outing. The boy, identified as Riccardo Boni, was vacationing with his family at a resort in the town, approximately 70 miles north of Rome. Boni was with his father and siblings when the accident happened around 3:00 p.m. local time.
According to local reports, Riccardo and his younger siblings had moved closer to the shoreline, where they began digging a large hole that was reportedly nearly five feet deep in a more secluded area of the beach. Meanwhile, their father was nearby, dozing off under a beach umbrella. Suddenly, the walls of the tunnel gave way, trapping the teen beneath the sand. The boy remained buried until his father woke up and realized his oldest son was missing. One of his brothers cried out,