An 11-year-old boy was left in critical condition after a dirt tunnel collapsed on top of him in Temecula Sunday afternoon, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
The injured boy had been digging a tunnel with another 11-year-old boy on the side of a dry riverbed in an area southeast of 40356 N. General Kearny Road, according to Sgt. Sergeant K. McDonald.
As the children dug into the side of the dry riverbank , at about 4:10 p.m., a tunnel collapsed on top of one of the boys , McDonald said.
After the tunnel collapsed, the other child was able to yell for help, alerting two adults who helped dig the buried boy out while calling 911, according to a report.
Minutes later, officers from the Temecula police arrived to the scene and found the boy buried from his head to his legs. Fire and paramedic personnel repotedly assisted officers in unearthing the boy.
The boy was dug out from of the dirt and transported by ambulance to Rancho Springs Medical Center in Murrieta for treatment, before being flown by helicopter to Children's Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition, McDonald said.
An investigation into the incident was ongoing.
