12-year-old Boy Scout buried alive in sand at camp event

SOUTH HAVEN, Michigan -- Police say a 12-year-old Boy Scout has died after being buried by sand in southwestern Michigan.

South Haven police say Gage Wilson dug into the side of a sand dune Saturday and crawled into the small space. The sand collapsed. The incident occurred at a Van Buren County park near Lake Michigan.

Police say two boys who were with Gage didn't notice his disappearance for up to 30 minutes.

South Haven police and emergency medical personnel responded to a 911 call at 4:14 p.m. Saturday regarding a child buried in the sand near the waters' edge at a Scout camp just north of Van Buren State Park, police said in a statement.

Scout leaders were performing CPR on the boy when police arrived at the scene on the shore of Lake Michigan, authorities said, adding that he was taken to a hospital.

"The early resuscitation efforts were able to establish a pulse in the victim," South Haven police said in a statement. "Efforts were then made through difficult terrain including dunes, trails, and water to transport the victim to a waiting ambulance.

"The victim was flown to a Kalamazoo area hospital where he later died as a result of injuries sustained."

"This is a very difficult time for our Scouting family," executive-CEO Don Shepard of the Michigan Crossroads Council, Boy Scouts of America, said in a statement. "We are sad to confirm the death of one of our youth members following an accident at a Scouting event."

The boy was from Portage, near Kalamazoo.

"We offer our deepest condolences to the victim and his family, and we will support them in any way that we can," according to the Scout statement. "Please join us in keeping all those affected in your thoughts and prayers."

The Associated Press and ABC News contributed to this report.