Teenager dies under wet sand collapse

A Kilkenny teenager died in a freak accident yesterday when he was buried under wet sand on an Australian beach.

A Kilkenny teenager died in a freak accident yesterday when he was buried under wet sand on an Australian beach.

Michael Brannigan Jnr (14) from Barna, Freshford, had been digging a hole in the sand at Noosa Beach when the accident happened.

He was holidaying with his mother Marie and young sister Rachel in the resort, which is 74 miles north of the Queensland state capital of Brisbane on Australia's north east coast.

When Ms Brannigan returned from a swim, she could not find her son and the alarm was raised at about 4.15 p.m. local time.

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A police spokesman said bystanders dug in the spot where he was last seen but it took almost 30 minutes to uncover his body. According to Sgt Eric Brown, the body had been found under almost five feet of sand.

Ambulance officers arrived but were unable to revive the boy. He was pronounced dead at the scene about two hours after he was last seen alive.

Neighbours in Freshford said Michael was a very popular boy and had a keen interest in equestrian sports. One neighbour paid tribute to Ms Brannigan, saying she was a devoted mother who had been extremely dedicated to her two children since her husband's death.

Local clergy described the death as "a terrible tragedy" and said the details had just begun to filter through yesterday evening.

Urlingford priest Father Thomas O'Toole said it was an extremely tragic event. "All our thoughts are with the family at the moment," he said. "It's a devastating blow for everyone but especially for Marie and for his grandparents."

According to local reports, this was the third such incident to happen in the Noosa resort in the past year. In one incident, two teenage boys were rescued from a collapsed dune while another 14-year-old boy escaped when the tunnel he was digging collapsed.

The beach had been subject to severe erosion in the past but recently local authorities were involved in a project to halt the erosion and make the beach safer.