Self-Made Igloo Collapses On Dad, 7-Year-Old Son; Child Dead

In an unfortunate incident, a boy in eastern Switzerland died after a self-made igloo collapsed on him.

Around 11 a.m. (5 a.m. ET) on Tuesday, the 7-year-old boy and his father, whose identities were not known, were buried by snow after a homemade igloo collapsed on them. The incident took place in Tarasp, Graubünden.

A while later, the father managed to free himself and started calling out for help. After looking for the boy for 15 minutes, the man and another person managed to find him.

"The father was able to free himself from the snow masses and looked for the boy together with third parties. They found the boy around a quarter of an hour after the igloo collapsed," a statement by the police said.

After pulling the child out from under the snow, the father tried to resuscitate him. Paramedics arrived and continued the revival efforts before airlifting the boy to the hospital. Despite the best efforts by the doctors, the child succumbed to injuries at the hospital.

"Those present immediately began resuscitation. An ambulance team from Scuol Hospital and a Rega crew continued this. The boy was flown to the Cantonal Hospital of Graubünden in Chur, where he died despite all efforts," the police said in the statement Wednesday.

The police were investigating the incident while the boy’s family members received psychological support from local authorities. It remained unclear if the father sustained injuries in the incident.

The incident comes weeks after a missing 14-year-old boy in California, who was buried under the snow that slid off a roof, was found alive and rescued by the first responders. The boy was playing in a snow cave when the snow came crashing down his home’s roof and buried him. His family members started looking for him after he did not return home, and soon called 911. Paramedics and firefighters arrived and after probing, found that a roof avalanche had taken place. They started digging and found the boy alive under 5-foot snow.

"We are extremely happy to share this successful rescue because often these don’t turn out as well. Don’t let this or other winter hazards get you or your family this winter," the fire district said in a statement.