Olympic swimmer nearly buried alive in sand
(CBS/AP/WFOR) An Austrian Olympic swimmer was buried neck deep in sand after a hole he had helped dig collapsed around him on Sunday.
Nineteen-year-old Jakub Maly and his teammates were spending their day off from training at the beach in Pompano Beach, Fla.
The team had spent much of the day digging a sand pit with enormous dimensions - 7 feet deep and 6 feet wide.
The South Florida Sun Sentinel reported that Maly jumped into the hole as a joke and caused the sand to cave in around him. Only his neck and face were left exposed.
"His friends tried to get him out. His coach tried to get him out," said Pompano Beach Fire-Rescue spokeswoman Sandra King. "They couldn't get him and he could not move."
Sixty rescuers spent two hours trying to free Maly who was in danger of being crushed by the pressure of the sand.
Around 9 p.m., Maly was rushed to the hospital where he was treated and released.
At the hospital, his teammates were still too stunned to talk about the incident, but were grateful that Maly is going to be okay, reports CBS affiliate WFOR.
King said the Austrian Olympic team has been training in South Florida since April.