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Watch: Crews dig out girl who got stuck in sand at San Diego beach

The girl was buried neck-deep on Tuesday at Mission Beach.
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A girl was rescued after becoming trapped in the sand at Mission Beach in San Diego on Tuesday afternoon.

The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department said the 16-year-old girl became trapped beneath 6 to 8 feet of sand around 5 p.m.

According to authorities, she was digging a hole when it collapsed on her, burying her neck-deep.

Scripps News San Diego's helicopter was overhead as rescuers used shovels and their hands to dig the teen out.

Once they were able to free her, she was able to walk to a stretcher that was waiting for her to be checked out.

The fire department said the girl did not suffer any injuries.

RELATED STORY | What to know about water safety before heading to the beach or pool this summer

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine details the potential dangers of digging holes on a beach.

"The risk of this event is enormously deceptive because of its association with relaxed recreational settings not generally regarded as hazardous," the study says.

It reports that 52 people, mostly children, became trapped in the sand between 1997 and 2007, and 31 of them died.

This story was originally published by Zac Self at Scripps News San Diego.