Man buried, trapped in beach sand collapse at Hervey Bay

A MAN who was trapped up to his neck in sand after chasing a lizard along sand dunes has been freed after an hours-long ordeal.

A specialist confined spaces rescue team works to free the trapped man. Picture: Twitter/@Dane_ML

A THREE-HOUR rescue operation has finally freed a man who was trapped up to his neck in sand on a Queensland beach.

The man, aged 29, is recovering in hospital after he became trapped in a sandy crevice in sand dunes at Hervey Bay, just north of the Reef World Aquarium.

The man was chasing a lizard before the ground collapsed underneath him, and he fell into a hole up to two metres deep, according to The Fraser Coast Chronicle.

A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokeswoman said people nearby raised the alarm after hearing the man calling for help about 11am today.

Firefighters first tried to dig him out but with shifting sands making the delicate job more difficult, a specialist fire crew trained in confined space rescues was called in.

The specialist team dug sand away from the front of the man’s body and by 2pm had managed to remove sand down to his hip-level.

They had also managed to secure him so he was in no danger of falling deeper into the crevice.