A teenager died in the Outer Banks on Saturday after he was trapped under several feet of sand at Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
Officials say friends and family had been looking for the 17-year-old and found him under the sand in a hole that was dug into a back dune and not visible from the beach.
Rangers said it appeared that an adjacent dune collapsed into the hole.
David Hallac, superintendent of the National Parks of Eastern North Carolina, said they urge visitors not to dig deep holes on the beach because they can be dangerous to beachgoers and emergency response staff.