CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. – Two Florida boys died when a hole they were digging in sand collapsed and trapped them, according to sheriff’s officials.
Citrus County deputies responded Sunday afternoon to Sportsman Park in Inverness.
The boys, 14-year-olds George Watts and Derrick Hubbard, had dug a deep hole about 4-5 feet deep and dug a tunnel when the sand collapsed, trapping them in the hole, according to a report.
A GoFundMe set up for the boys’ families described the “unimaginable nightmare” as a fear that became reality.
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“While playing together, the boys dug a tunnel in sugar sand and were inside when it suddenly collapsed. In an instant, our world was shattered. What should have been another day of childhood adventure turned into a heartbreaking loss that no parent should ever have to endure. Our precious boys were taken from us far too soon,” the GoFundMe reads.
The two boys grew up “side by side, bonded like siblings,” the GoFundMe said.
The two boys were students at Inverness Middle School, according to sheriff’s officials. School officials released a statement on the incident earlier this week: