The devastated parents of a girl who died after being buried by sand on a beach in Florida have paid tribute to the seven-year-old's life.
Sloan Mattingly was helping dig a deep hole with her nine-year-old brother Maddox when it happened He collapsed on Tuesday afternoon.
Beachgoers at the scene Lauderdale by the Sea He rushed to pull the couple out, but Sloan died after being taken to hospital.
Sloan Mattingly was seven years old. Photo: Facebook
She was reportedly buried in a 1.8 m (6 ft) deep hole for approximately 20 minutes.
Her brother is in the hospital and is in stable condition.
A tribute from her mother, Therese, posted on a GoFundMe page dedicated to the family, described her death as a “freak accident.”
She added: “We were deprived of the greatest 7.5 years of our lives. Don't tell us you're sorry for our loss… Don't do that to us. We experienced the purest human being and you changed us forever.”
“We love you beyond any stretch of the imagination. Our beautiful Sloan. What would we give.”
More than $130,000 (£103,000) has been raised on the website to help with funeral costs.
Mattingly family. Photo: Facebook
Sloan's father also posted on social media: “Our baby is in heaven. Love you so much Sloan.”
The family was on vacation when the tragedy occurred.
“They were having a good time. Everyone was really excited to see them there,” her uncle Chris Sloan told KFOR-TV.
He added: “Later we discovered that after the sand collapsed, [Sloan] He kept trying to grab Maddox's leg to get out of the sand, and eventually he couldn't feel her moving anymore.
“The sand was getting to [Maddox’s] “He was screaming for help, and many people came to help him.”
Mr Sloan described his niece as “always happy”.
He added: “She was really fun to be around. She had so much energy and was completely innocent, and that's what hurts me the most about all of this.”
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Witness Harry Divina told Sky News' US partner NBC News he believed the girl's father was also helping dig the hole moments before the collapse.
He added: “I could see the boy a little, but all I could see was the top of the girl's head. I saw the father standing beside himself.”
“It's still an annoying episode to be there.”
The tragedy prompted the American Rescue Association to issue a warning about the dangers of drilling holes on beaches, with the group urging authorities to intensify patrols in areas where the activity is popular.
“The recent incident at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is a painful reminder of why we must work together to keep our beaches safe,” said Health and Safety Director Bernard J. Fisher II.
