A father tragically died in front of his horrified kids after a sand dune collapsed on him while at the beach. Reportedly, he was digging into the sand dune when it fell on top of him.

The incident happened in Auckland at Muriwai Beach. According to Radio New Zealand (RNZ), 28-year-old Kane Watson was at the beach with his 18-month-old daughter and three stepsons. He had been playing with his kids in the sand when the sand dune suddenly collapsed and buried him headfirst. His children began calling for help, but it took rescue teams 15 minutes to free the man from under the sand. Sadly, he later passed away the next day at the hospital.

His family remembers him as a “much-loved son, brother, partner and, above all, a devoted father.”

Buried By A Sand Dune
“His greatest joy was being with his children — not only his own, but also the kids he cared for and loved as if they were his own. Family was always at the very center of who he was,” family friend Kristalle Tayler wrote. “Most heartbreakingly, his youngest child, due early next year, will never get to meet him, but will grow up hearing stories of the incredible man who loved them before they were born. The suddenness of this accident has left Kane’s family shattered.”

The man’s death raises the dangers of sand dunes, according to University of Auckland lecturer Colin Whittaker.

“If you’ve got a big dune above you and a lot of that collapses, you’ve potentially got something that weighs as much as an elephant collapsing on top of you,” he told the outlet. “That’s obviously very damaging, but also pretty hard to dig yourself out of, especially if you’re struggling for air.”

“As soon as you start trying to dig someone out, as you dig a hole, the sand fills it back in. It’s incredibly challenging to do,” he added.

Watson’s sister Shaquille also mourned the loss of her brother.

“He was just an amazing dad,” Tayler added. “I guess that’s where it’s just the most heartbreaking thing. All he ever wanted was to have his own family, and it really does feel like the minute he got there, it was ripped away from him.”