BOY, 5, DIES AFTER BEING BURIED UNDER MUD WHILE PLAYING IN HOLE WITH ANOTHER CHILD

A five-year-old boy has died after being buried when a section of wet earth collapsed while he was playing inside a large hole in southern Brazil.

Gael Bernardo Pereira Gomes, 5, was playing with another child in a roughly two-metre-deep hole in a rural area of Serra dos Dourados, a district of Umuarama in Paraná, on Saturday, September 19.

The hole had been dug as part of preparations for a water reservoir.

Local reports said the ground had become unstable after heavy rain, causing the earth to suddenly give way and bury Gael.

The other child managed to escape, but Gael became trapped beneath the soil.

RESCUERS DUG BY HAND

Emergency crews rushed to the scene after the collapse.

Because of the risk of further movement of the soil, firefighters worked manually, using tools including shovels and other hand equipment to reach the boy.

According to local reports, Gael remained trapped for around 40 minutes.

Firefighters eventually located and removed him from beneath the earth.

He was unconscious and in cardiac arrest when he was brought out.

Emergency medical personnel immediately began resuscitation efforts, continuing for around an hour.

Despite the efforts of the rescue teams, Gael could not be saved and was pronounced dead at the scene.

“WHEN WE CANNOT SAVE THEM, IT WEIGHS ON US”

Fire service Sergeant Douglas Arcanjo Dias described the rescue as an extremely difficult operation.

He said the team continued working despite physical exhaustion and did everything possible to reach the child.

“When it involves a child, it affects us a little more and we give even more of ourselves,” Dias said, according to The Irish Sun.

“When we cannot save them, it weighs on us.”

The rescue operation involved firefighters as well as emergency medical personnel and police.

Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the collapse.

SCHOOL COMMUNITY MOURNS GAEL

Gael was a student at Serra dos Dourados Municipal School.

Following his death, the local education department confirmed his identity and issued a tribute to the five-year-old.

The education authority said the school community was joining Gael’s family in mourning and offering strength and comfort following what it described as an irreparable loss.

Gael’s funeral and burial took place on Sunday, September 20.

The tragedy has left the local community mourning the death of a young child whose life ended suddenly during what had begun as an ordinary day of play.

The investigation into the circumstances of the collapse remains ongoing.