Boy died after walls of deep hole caved in.A 17-year-old Italian boy died after being alive under sand when the walls of a deep hole he was digging on a beach near Rome collapsed on top of him on Thursday.The boy, identified as Riccardo Boni from Rome, was on holiday with his father and two younger siblings on the public beach at Montalto di Castro in the northern coast of Lazio. Riccardo had been enjoying a family trip to the beach, starting off the day by swimming before digging a large hole in the afternoon with his siblings, some distance from their father who was resting under an umbrella after lunch. After a while the two siblings wandered off towards the shore, leaving the 17-year-old in the hole which had reached a depth of about 1.5 metres. Suddenly the walls caved in, burying the boy alive, with apparently nobody on the beach noticing the tragedy unfolding. When the boy's father noticed his eldest son's absence he asked his younger children where their brother was.  When they pointed to the spot where Riccardo had been digging, the father immediately realised what had happened and began desperately digging in the sand, aided by other beachgoers and lifeguards.  Their frantic dig reportedly ended about 40 minutes later with the tragic discovery of Riccardo. When the 17-year-old was pulled from the sand, he was no longer breathing and showed no signs of life. Emergency services were alerted and arrived within minutes, and an air ambulance landed on the beach. Medics attempted to revive the boy but their efforts were in vain: there was nothing they could do for the 17-year-old. A police investigation is under way to determine the dynamics of the fatal accident.  

A 17-year-old Italian boy died after being alive under sand when the walls of a deep hole he was digging on a beach near Rome collapsed on top of him on Thursday. The boy, identified as Riccardo Boni from Rome, was on holiday with his father and two younger siblings on the public beach at Montalto di Castro in the northern coast of Lazio. Riccardo had been enjoying a family trip to the beach, starting off the day by swimming before digging a large hole in the afternoon with his siblings, some distance from their father who was resting under an umbrella after lunch. After a while the two siblings wandered off towards the shore, leaving the 17-year-old in the hole which had reached a depth of about 1.5 metres. Suddenly the walls caved in, burying the boy alive, with apparently nobody on the beach noticing the tragedy unfolding. When the boy's father noticed his eldest son's absence he asked his younger children where their brother was.  When they pointed to the spot where Riccardo had been digging, the father immediately realised what had happened and began desperately digging in the sand, aided by other beachgoers and lifeguards.  Their frantic dig reportedly ended about 40 minutes later with the tragic discovery of Riccardo. When the 17-year-old was pulled from the sand, he was no longer breathing and showed no signs of life. Emergency services were alerted and arrived within minutes, and an air ambulance landed on the beach. Medics attempted to revive the boy but their efforts were in vain: there was nothing they could do for the 17-year-old.