Two teen best friends die after sand hole collapses on them at Florida park

Two teenage best friends were buried alive after a sand hole they were digging at a Florida park suddenly collapsed on top of them, according to authorities and reports.

George Watts and Derrick Hubbard, both 14, were digging a 5-foot-deep hole in the sand at Sportsman Park in Inverness on Sunday when the pit suddenly caved in, trapping them inside, the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office and Medical Examiners told ABC.

Their parents discovered the boys’ bikes and shoes by the sandpit, but could not find them. After fearing the worst, they called authorities and started digging, according to Fox13. 

Deputies, firefighters, and emergency medical services swarmed the park and tried to rescue the boys from the collapsed hole, cops said. 

Less than an hour later, Hubbard and Watts were pulled out of the sand, given CPR, and taken to a local hospital, according to police. 

Hubbard was pronounced dead on Sunday, and Watts was pronounced dead at the hospital later on Tuesday afternoon, authorities added. 

It is unclear exactly how long the two boys were buried in the sand. 

Watts’s mother, Jasmine Watts, described the two boys as best friends who shared an inseparable bond. 

“In a tragic accident, we lost our oldest son, George Watts, and his best friend, Derrick Hubbard. These two boys shared a bond that went beyond friendship — they were inseparable, full of life, curiosity, and dreams for the future,” Jasmine Watts wrote in a GoFundMe statement for her son’s funeral and medical expenses.  

“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,” she said. 

“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 heartbreaking statement continued.

The two best pals attended Iverness Middle School, which will provide counseling services to students following the “tragedy.”

“This situation has deeply affected many within our school and district community,” the school said in a statement. 

The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment. 

The deadly incident follows a tragic pattern of other teens and young children killed by collapsing sand holes.

In February 2024, a young girl was also killed when a 5- to 6-foot sand hole she was digging with a 7-year-old boy at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea in Fort Lauderdale suddenly caved in, NBC Miami reported at the time. 

Good Samaritans and first responders rushed to dig her out of the hole as the boy was buried just up to his chest. 

In May 2022, Levi Caverly, 18, was pronounced dead after the hole he and his sister were digging in the sand at the Jersey Shore collapsed.