A Timaru father yesterday recounted the horror of finding his son unconscious with a mouth full of dirt.
Twelve-year-old Deon Miller was playing with friends and family digging holes in a mound of topsoil on Mackenzie District Council land in Twizel about 10am on Saturday when the mound collapsed, trapping him underneath.
His father, Craig Miller, said the children had unsuccessfully tried to dig him out, before a boy ran back to family's house to alert him.
He ran to the dirt pile and dug his son out.
''He was unconscious and had dirt in his mouth,'' he said.
Deon would have been trapped in the dirt for ''minutes'', but he was unsure how long exactly.
''He's all good now, but very lucky,'' he said.
''It was just a freak accident, really.''
His fear turned to joy as Deon came around soon after and Mr Miller ''got him up and breathing''.
Deon was taken to Dunedin Hospital by the Otago Regional Rescue Helicopter with suspected chest injuries and injuries from suffocation.
However, he would be discharged today and had no serious injuries, Mr Miller said.
Mackenzie District Council chief executive Wayne Barnett said the council had alerted WorkSafe New Zealand about the incident and began its own investigation into what happened.
''We haven't previously seen it [the mound] as a hazard, but we obviously do now.''
The pile of dirt had been there for about two years and was 3-4m high and 10-15m wide, he said.
There were many piles of materials on council land around Twizel, but this was one of the few which contained topsoil and therefore attractive to children - ''but it's not a recreational area''.
The council would be assessing options to make the areas less attractive for children to play in, including signage, reducing the mounds' height and restricting access to them, he said.
He was pleased to hear Deon was doing well.
''We are hugely relieved and please that the child appears to be OK.''
Mr Miller thanked the members of St John, the Fire Service, police and Otago Regional Rescue Helicopter who had helped Deon following the incident.
