Teen dies after getting trapped under several feet of sand at Cape Hatteras National Seashore

A 17-year-old from Chesapeake, Virginia died Saturday after being buried in a hole under several feet of sand at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the seashore said.

Family and friends looking for the teen found him trapped under sand, the seashore said, after parts of an adjacent dune apparently collapsed into the hole. 

It was just east of an off-road vehicle ramp in Frisco, N.C. in a back-dune area behind a main dune and couldn't be seen from the beachfront, the seashore pointed out.

Rangers responding to a 911 call and family members tried to pull the teen out, and the rangers performed CPR. Dare County Emergency Medical Services personnel and Hatteras Island Ocean Rescue staff helped to pull him out and with the CPR, but he couldn't be revived, the seashore said.

The incident is under investigation.

David Hallac, the superintendent of National Parks of Eastern North Carolina said in a statement that, "Cape Hatteras National Seashore offers our condolences to his family and friends," adding that, "We urge visitors not to dig deep holes on the beach due to the danger they present to beachgoers and emergency response staff."