SALT LAKE TOWN –
A 13-year-old Utah boy died of his injuries a day after a sand dune he was digging collapsed and buried in a state park, officials said Monday.
The boy was digging a tunnel in the dune at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park in southern Utah when he collapsed on it Saturday night, park rangers said.
A family member warned authorities and rangers had arrived to dig the boy out of what they thought was about 6 1/2 feet (2 meters) of sand.
After rangers and Kane County Sheriff’s Deputies rescued him, determined he had a pulse and administered cardiac resuscitation, the boy was transported to St. George’s Hospital and then to Salt Lake City Children’s Hospital. He died there on Sunday after failing to regain brain activity, the Utah State Parks Department said.
The boy, Ian Spendlow, is from Santa Clara, a small town about 65 miles (105 kilometers) from Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, officials said Monday.
Campers and off-road drivers flock to the park near the Utah-Arizona border because of the vibrant hue of its warm pink sand, which is made from eroding Navajo sandstone.
Devan Chavez, a spokesman for the Parks Agency, said he was unaware of such incidents at Coral Pink Sand Dunes, but another teenager died in 2012 after being trapped under a collapsed sand dune in Snow Canyon State Park. about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest.
The collapse of the dunes on Saturday is still under investigation. Rangers said it happened quickly and they do not know how long the boy was buried.
Chavez offered his condolences to the Spendlov family and urged visitors to be safe, wear helmets or life jackets and warn others about recreation plans when in state parks.
“Always recreate with a friend or someone who can help you, or go and seek help. And always let someone far from the area where you are going and what your plan is, “he said.
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