15/08/2005

Girl dies in collapsed beach sand

The toddler who died after being trapped in a sand-hole on a Cornish beach has been named as Abbie Livingstone-Nurse, from Goring Road in Worthing, West Sussex,.

It is understood that the girl aged-three and her five-year-old brother were playing on the beach at Upton Towans Beach near Hayle on Sunday.

Rescuers were called to the scene and although were able to free the boy, were unable to reach the trapped girl quickly enough. Abbie was pronounced dead on arrival after being airlifted to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Treliske at around 17.50pm. Her older brother was reported to be unharmed in the incident.

Her mother visted the scene briefly today to lay flowers.

Coastguard, the Fire Brigade, police and a helicopter from Culdrose attended the incident.

Falmouth Coastguard received an emergency call from RNLI Lifeguards on Upton Towans Beach, near Hayle at around 4.30pm requesting urgent assistance for a child trapped in a five-foot hole in the sand.

Portreath Coastguard Rescue team was sent to the scene to assist the Fire Brigade and an Air Ambulance and Rescue helicopter from RNAS Culdrose was scrambled.

One lifeguard who tried to help the girl's father described how when he arrived the little girl was talking, but that as further loose sand collapsed into the hole the weight on her chest became too great and she had apparently stopped breathing. Rescuers spent over 30 minutes trying to reach the girl trapped by the sand fall.

A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall police who had attended the scene said that the incident was being treated as a tragic accident.

(SP)

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