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A man critically injured at a popular Auckland beach was digging a hole in a sand dune when it collapsed on top of him, burying him headfirst.

Emergency services were called to Muriwai Beach at 5pm on Saturday, after a person was reported to be trapped, police said.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand said it responded with two fire trucks and two 4WD utility vehicles.

The Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust said a crew was tasked with rescuing the man, in his 20’s, who had been digging a hole in the sand dune when it collapsed on him.

The man was airlifted to Auckland City Hospital in a critical condition.

A woman said she and her husband were first on the scene after a child yelled out to them, asking them to help the man, who was fully buried in the collapsed dune.

She said when they finally got the man out from under the sand, they were told he had been in there for 15 minutes.

“We were on the side of a steep, soft sand dune just above the estuary, which made it extremely difficult to balance.”

The woman said it appeared as though the group had been building dugouts in the sand.

Emergency services were called to Muriwai Beach at 5pm on Saturday, after a man was reportedly trapped, police said. Photo / Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust

The couple said medical professionals arrived 10 minutes later and assisted rescue teams by helping to carry the man across the sand dunes.

Another person told the Herald their partner saw four police vehicles, multiple fire trucks, an ambulance and a Westpac Rescue Helicopter overhead.

A man is in critical condition after he became trapped in a collapsed sand dune. Photo / Facebook

In 2023, a child who was trapped in a collapsed sand dune on Great Barrier Island died.

Two boys were digging tunnels in the sand during a family picnic when a sand dune collapsed and buried them.

The other child involved in the incident was in critical condition after the collapse.

One of the boys, aged 14, was found with his legs sticking out of the sand and was pulled out with the help of a vehicle, Stuff reported.

The other, a 12-year-old, was completely buried and was not breathing by the time he was extracted.