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Dublin: 9 °C Friday 29 March, 2024
Maly is pulled from his sandy tomb by rescuers in Florida
Oops

How not to... Bury yourself in sand

Olympic swimmer finds 7ft hole in beach is one he just can’t dig his way out of.

A MEMBER OF the Austrian Olympic swim team had to be rescued after he used a bucket to dig a large hole that collapsed and trapped him.

It took 60 rescuers two hours to free Jakub Maly, 19, who had spent a few hours Sunday digging the hole that was 7 feet deep and 6 feet wide. The hole very nearly became his grave when he jumped in and the sand caved in on him. Fire rescue officials told AP that he was in danger of being crushed by the sand.

Rescuers dug out his head so he could breathe, and gave him an oxygen mask. Large boards were placed along the outside of the hole to keep more sand from falling in on him.

After he was released, Maly was taken to North Broward Hospital and released early Monday. He and his team were scheduled to leave South Florida by early Monday afternoon – they had been training there since April and Sunday was their day off.

“He looked more in shock when he came out,” said Pompano Beach Fire Rescue spokeswoman Sandra King. “He was obviously traumatised.”

CBS News have a breathless report on the rescue here which begins:

If you need construction vehicles to move sand, you know this rescue wasn’t easy.

Boards are placed around Maly to prevent more sand collapsing in on his chest

(AP Photo/Broward Sheriff’s Office-Pompano Beach District, Lt. Darin D. Dowe)

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