On Tuesday night, a father playing with his daughter in some sand dunes north of Houston died after a cave-like tunnel he was building in the dunes collapsed on top of him.
Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman told the Houston Press that the sand dunes had formed at John Pundt Park in Spring after historic flooding in the area last month. Herman told us that the father, who has not been identified, was ultimately trying to build a large sand castle at the time the tunnel he was digging caved in. Deputies at the scene told KPRC it was about eight feet long. "He had built reinforcement walls on the sides, but he didn't have enough," Herman said. "The sand collapsed on him and he was suffocated."
After the tunnel collapsed, the man's daughter ran to tell a couple her dad needed help, and the couple called 911. When emergency crews arrived, however, the 31-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officials said they couldn't provide any other details at this time. We'll update once we know more.
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