Girl buried in sand thanks rescuers

A girl buried alive as she dug a hole on a beach has thanked rescuers who saved her life.

Paige Anderson, 15, was trapped for 15 minutes under 5ft of sand after the hole collapsed in on her at Caister, near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, on Friday.

Paramedics, police, lifeboatmen, coastguards and members of the public frantically dug her out and reached her just in time - when Paige was pulled free she had stopped breathing.

But she was discharged from the James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston a little more than 24 hours later.

And she told the Eastern Daily Press: "I'm OK - just shocked really.

"I've got a bit of a sore back. I can't remember what happened exactly. I remember crouching down to go through the tunnel, then it all went black."

Paige and her family, from Kent, will continue their holiday at Haven Hopton Holiday Park in Hopton-on-Sea, near Yarmouth, until the end of the week.

Her father, Michael Anderson, said his eldest daughter, Jade, had finished digging and left the hole just before it collapsed.

He told the newspaper: "I was going to lift her out, but it was too deep so she said she'd make some steps and climb out.

"I turned around to speak to my youngest and when I looked back the sides were collapsing. Then she was gone. The rest is a blur.

"The whole thing has restored my faith in people. I just can't thank them enough."