Student Dies When a Sandpit Collapses

A 19-year-old Korean exchange student died after being buried by sand at a local beach. Mingyu Paul Sang and his friends were digging at Oxnard Beach Park when a pit collapsed with Sang underneath. The cave-in buried him under six feet of sand, according to the Oxnard Fire Department. Firefighters went to the scene around 5 p.m., administered CPR and transported him to the Ventura County Medical Center. The county coroner says Sang died of asphyxiation and it was ruled an accident. Emergency officials say this is a good reminder that beaches can be dangerous.”You really shouldn’t be digging holes any deeper than your knees. If you have small children on the beach don’t allow them to dig holes any deeper than the youngest child’s knees and be aware that these things happen and sand is unstable,” said Oxnard Fire Department Battalion Chief Rod Thorp.Bystanders say they saw the Sang lying at the bottom of the pit when it collapsed. He was a student at Masters College in Santa Clarita.