Bribie Island victim: Family breaks silence about 25-year-old ‘buried alive’ with inspiring update

The family of a young man who was buried under five feet of sand on a popular beach say his life hangs in the balance.

Josh Taylor, 25, had no pulse for 45 minutes after horrific incident on Bribie Island on Saturday afternoon.

His friends and family took turns giving him CPR until he was airlifted to Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital, where he remains in a critical condition.

Taylor’s uncle, Barry Taylor, spoke to 7NEWS outside the hospital on Wednesday and said his nephew was “fighting tooth and nail” to stay alive.

Josh Taylor remains in a critical condition after being buried alive in a hole on Bribie Island.

“He is still in a critical condition, he is in intensive care and we are awaiting the results of further tests,” Mr Taylor said.

“He’s fighting hard, mate, he’s really fighting hard, his heart is still beating.

“We’re devastated – we’re really finding it difficult to understand what happened to Josh.”

Mr Taylor described his nephew as a “bright” and “energetic” person who “loves the outdoors, fishing and camping”.

“We can still see him now and we’re very grateful for their help,” Barry said.

It’s been six days since 15 men pulled Taylor out of the sand pit.

The witness who helped rescue Taylor was told that the group had dug a pit of sand to cook the pig, similar to the traditional Maori style of cooking hangi.

The witness said Mr Taylor stood up from his chair, lost his balance on the sand and fell into the hole, with the walls collapsing on him.

One visitor, Nathan, was leaving the beach with his family when a group of men ran up to him, screaming for help to save their friend.

A witness who helped rescue Mr Taylor was told the group dug a pit of sand to cook the pig, similar to the traditional Maori style of cooking hangi.

When he arrived at the scene, Mr Taylor’s family and friends were desperately trying to get him out.

“I realized somebody was in the hole head first, and I was just digging and digging and digging,” he said.

“When I first walked up to the hole, I couldn’t even see his leg. That’s how deep it was.”

He told NCA NewsWire more than 15 people dug into the sand to pull the man out before paramedics and rangers arrived.

“His whole family was screaming at us, asking us to help, asking us to take the rope so we could pull him out. It was pretty horrific,” Nathan said.

“There were about 15 people there pulling the rope and he didn’t budge.”

Queensland paramedics and the crew of the RACQ Lifeflight rescue helicopter were called to help Taylor after he fell into a hole and was buried under sand.

After some time of pulling and digging, Mr Taylor finally broke through to the surface of the sand, but the force with which he was yanked out caused him further injury, Nathan said.

“When he popped out, it was quite unpleasant. I vomited,” he said.

‘He broke. The suction, the force with which everyone pulls.”