A six-year-old boy survived for more than three hours underground after being swallowed by a massive sand dune.
The boy was playing on the dune at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore park along Lake Michigan, when he dropped partially into it.
While they were trying to dig him out, the dune collapsed, burying the boy under 11 feet of sand - but he was saved by an air pocket.
The family called the police and fire bridade, and emergency workers were on the scene within 15 minutes and began digging by hand.
The boy was taken to hospital where he remained in critical condition but is expected to make a full recovery.
Firefighters located the boy while prodding the dune, right after they detected the air pocket that enabled him to survive for so long underground.
They pulled him out and the boy was rushed to a Michigan City hospital, then later flown to Comer.
LaPorte County Deputy Coroner Mark Huffman told The News-Dispatch of Michigan City that the boy's survival was a 'miracle'.
"It is totally amazing," he said. Authorities were puzzled about the cause of the collapse. The section of the dune, which is more than 125 feet high and is known as Mount Baldy, had been cordoned off for restoration work. It will remain closed at least through the weekend and until authorities can determine if it's still a danger.