From the Minneapolis Star Tribune
Minneapolis, MN
http://www.startribune.com
Red Wing boy, 10, killed in collapse of hill
Associated Press
Published Jun 20, 2002
A 10-year old boy from Red Wing died after a sandy hillside gave way, trapping him beneath several feet of sand.
Jacob Christiansen and two other Red Wing boys, ages 14 and 16, had spent much of the day Wednesday playing on the hillside at an excavation site, Red Wing Public Safety Director Rick Rabenort said today.
The boys apparently had attached a rope at the top of the hill, which Rabenort said could be described as a cliff. They spent several hours sliding down the sand, using the rope to pull themselves back up.
Shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday, however, a portion of the hill began to collapse, Rabenort said, pouring sand on all three.
As the boys tried to extricate themselves, more sand rained down. Christiansen was buried in up to 10 feet of sand, and the 16-year-old's legs were partially covered. The 14-year-old was able to run to a nearby residence to notify authorities.
The first rescue workers on the scene extricated the 16-year-old, who provided a general idea of where Christiansen was buried, Fire Capt. Dan Simonson said.
Rabenort said they got down on their hands and knees to dig for Christiansen, but as they dug, more sand fell. They also used shovels and, eventually, a backhoe to free the boy, but he had been buried for 60 to 70 minutes.
The few minutes from when they found Christiansen to when they freed him ``seemed like an eternity'' to rescuers, Rabenort said.
The boys were taken to Fairview Red Wing Medical Center. Christiansen was pronounced dead at 10:44 p.m. The 14-year-old was treated and released. The 16-year-old was kept overnight for observation.
Christiansen is the son of Gregory and Cheryl Christiansen.
The area is privately owned, Rabenort said. The hill may have been made unstable by rain earlier in the day, he added.
The rescue workers took the boy's death hard, Rabenort said.
``They thought of their own families and their own children,'' he said.
Minneapolis, MN
http://www.startribune.com
Red Wing boy, 10, killed in collapse of hill
Associated Press
Published Jun 20, 2002
A 10-year old boy from Red Wing died after a sandy hillside gave way, trapping him beneath several feet of sand.
Jacob Christiansen and two other Red Wing boys, ages 14 and 16, had spent much of the day Wednesday playing on the hillside at an excavation site, Red Wing Public Safety Director Rick Rabenort said today.
The boys apparently had attached a rope at the top of the hill, which Rabenort said could be described as a cliff. They spent several hours sliding down the sand, using the rope to pull themselves back up.
Shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday, however, a portion of the hill began to collapse, Rabenort said, pouring sand on all three.
As the boys tried to extricate themselves, more sand rained down. Christiansen was buried in up to 10 feet of sand, and the 16-year-old's legs were partially covered. The 14-year-old was able to run to a nearby residence to notify authorities.
The first rescue workers on the scene extricated the 16-year-old, who provided a general idea of where Christiansen was buried, Fire Capt. Dan Simonson said.
Rabenort said they got down on their hands and knees to dig for Christiansen, but as they dug, more sand fell. They also used shovels and, eventually, a backhoe to free the boy, but he had been buried for 60 to 70 minutes.
The few minutes from when they found Christiansen to when they freed him ``seemed like an eternity'' to rescuers, Rabenort said.
The boys were taken to Fairview Red Wing Medical Center. Christiansen was pronounced dead at 10:44 p.m. The 14-year-old was treated and released. The 16-year-old was kept overnight for observation.
Christiansen is the son of Gregory and Cheryl Christiansen.
The area is privately owned, Rabenort said. The hill may have been made unstable by rain earlier in the day, he added.
The rescue workers took the boy's death hard, Rabenort said.
``They thought of their own families and their own children,'' he said.
