GREENWICH, N.Y. — A 12-year-old boy who was building a snow fort in upstate New York died after police said he was buried alive by a plow truck, ABC News reported.
Joshua J. Demarast was playing in the snow with another friend digging tunnels Tuesday after school in Greenwich at a site where snow is frequently dumped, Greenwich Police Chief George Bell said.
A truck dropped off snow then pushed the snow over onto the boys without the driver knowing they were there, according to Bell.
Police were called around 5 p.m. about two boys that were missing. A K-9 unit located the sleds the boys were using.
The boys remained trapped under the snow for hours as police and rescue workers struggled to dig them out, police said.
Joshua was found unresponsive under the snow and died shortly afterward.
Bell said the Demarast family suffered two tragedies on Tuesday, when the boy’s grandmother also passed away around 3 p.m.
"His family is dealing with both losses," Bell said.
Mark Fish, the superintendent of Greenwich Central School District, described Joshua as a good student who was well-liked and loved the outdoors.
Counselors were made available to students in the wake of the tragedy
Greenwich, which is near the Vermont border, is no stranger to snowfall, but the town received only 4 or 5 inches earlier this week, Bell said.
Read more on this story from ABC News.