A father tragically died in front of his horrified kids after a sand dune collapsed on him while at the beach. Reportedly, he was digging into the sand dune when it fell on top of him.<\/p>\n
The incident happened in Auckland at Muriwai Beach. According to Radio New Zealand (RNZ), 28-year-old Kane Watson was at the beach with his 18-month-old daughter and three stepsons. He had been playing with his kids in the sand when the sand dune suddenly collapsed and buried him headfirst. His children began calling for help, but it took rescue teams 15 minutes to free the man from under the sand. Sadly, he later passed away the next day at the hospital.<\/p>\n
His family remembers him as a \u201cmuch-loved son, brother, partner and, above all, a devoted father.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buried By A Sand Dune
\n\u201cHis greatest joy was being with his children \u2014 not only his own, but also the kids he cared for and loved as if they were his own. Family was always at the very center of who he was,\u201d family friend Kristalle Tayler wrote. \u201cMost heartbreakingly, his youngest child, due early next year, will never get to meet him, but will grow up hearing stories of the incredible man who loved them before they were born. The suddenness of this accident has left Kane\u2019s family shattered.\u201d<\/p>\n
The man\u2019s death raises the dangers of sand dunes, according to University of Auckland lecturer Colin Whittaker.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019ve got a big dune above you and a lot of that collapses, you\u2019ve potentially got something that weighs as much as an elephant collapsing on top of you,\u201d he told the outlet. \u201cThat\u2019s obviously very damaging, but also pretty hard to dig yourself out of, especially if you\u2019re struggling for air.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs soon as you start trying to dig someone out, as you dig a hole, the sand fills it back in. It\u2019s incredibly challenging to do,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Watson\u2019s sister Shaquille also mourned the loss of her brother.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was just an amazing dad,\u201d Tayler added. \u201cI guess that\u2019s where it\u2019s just the most heartbreaking thing. All he ever wanted was to have his own family, and it really does feel like the minute he got there, it was ripped away from him.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A father tragically died in front of his horrified kids after a sand dune collapsed on him while at the beach. Reportedly, he was digging into the… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38741,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-38745","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n