THERiccardo’s tragedy was so terrible when he absurd. It is difficult to accept that a 17 -year -old boy, on vacation with his family, has lost his life while he dug a hole on the beach. A game, a moment of freedom, as we have all lived as children. Still, something went wrong.
I am writing to you for two reasons. The first is to sensitize: to make it clear that accidents like the one that happened to Riccardo, however rare, can really happen and know the mechanisms that make them possible is the first step to avoid them. The second reason is not to demonize. Digging holes on the beach is something we have done everyone, as children and adults. It is a game, an instinctive and innocent gesture that is part of the beauty of summer. We must not stop doing it in my opinion, but we can do it with a little more awareness.
As a person, but above all from Dad, my first thought goes to his parents, Riccardo’s family and his loved ones đź’›.
What happened, the dynamics
It happened in Montalto di Castro, on the Lazio coast. Riccardo, together with the brothers, was digging a hole on the sand, about one and a half meter deep, then transforming it into a small tunnel where he slipped. At that point, the sand suddenly sold. Without noise. Without evident signs. When family members realized that there was no longer, it was already too late: the sand had completely buried it. They took about 40 minutes to find it. Too much time. Despite the rescue attempts, Riccardo did not make it. A pain that breaks the breath, that leaves everyone speechless and that requires us at least one thing: to understand, to prevent it from happening again.
Is it really dangerous to dig in the sand?
The beach is a place of play, freedom, light -heartedness. But as often happens, even the simplest things can hide risks if not known to the end. It is not the sand itself that is dangerous. This is become the conditions in which it is excavated, especially when descending in depth or tunnels are created.
Why can a hole become lethal?
The sand is unstable by nature. In geology it is called the melted sediment, that is, the grains are not cemented with each other; There is no cohesion. When you dig a deep hole, and even more a tunnel, the walls suddenly give way. If you dig a hole until you reach the water and wait a few minutes, you will notice how the walls collapse on their own. Sand returns to fill the void, it is its nature. And in particular conditions, it can turn into a trap. The weight of the sand is enormous: even if only half a cubic meter can exceed 700-800 kg. If a person is buried, even if only partially, can no longer move and if the face is covered, the risk of suffocation is immediate.
Tunnels: the greatest danger
Tunnels are the most unstable structures that can be created in the sand. They have no supports, they give no notice. And precisely because they invite you to enter it, they are particularly dangerous for children and teenagers. In the United States, a study showed that between 1990 and 2006 more people died from hole collapses on the beach than for shark attacks.
So we have to prohibit digging on the beach?
No. We don’t have to stop playing. We just have to do it with awareness. The shallow hole, visible and made for fun do not represent a risk. Only a few tricks are needed: avoid tunnels and deep excavations, do not leave open hole unattended (they must always be closed), monitor children while playing, never lie down in tight excavations or under the sand level.
In conclusion
Riccardo did not have to die. Nobody expects to lose their lives in a holiday place, for such a daily and innocent gesture. And that’s why we talk about it today. Not to make alarmism. Not to point the finger. But to do what we can do: understand, inform, prevent. Because tragedies do not repeat themselves. Because the next time we see someone dig a tunnel on the beach, we will be able to say a word, explain the risk. He can make a difference.
