A DAD-OF-FOUR has been killed after a sand dune collapsed and buried him alive as his horrified young family watched on.

Kane Watson, 28, was playing with his three stepsons, 18-month-old daughter and his partner on a beach when he was suddenly swallowed up by the dune and trapped for over 15 minutes.

Witnesses say they heard the piercing screams of his kids as they desperately tried to dig their dad out of the sand.

The family were on a day out to Muriwai Beach, 40km northwest of Auckland, New Zealand when the fatal accident occurred.

At around 5pm on Saturday, Kane was digging a hole when it collapsed without warning.

He was left buried underneath the heavy load in front of his family.

A woman told the New Zealand Herald she and her husband rushed over to help after hearing the children yell out.

She said the recovery operation took over 15 minutes due to the position of the dune.

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

Kane was airlifted to Auckland City Hospital in critical condition but died on Sunday from his injuries, police confirmed.

A fundraiser was set up to help cover the costs of the beloved father’s funeral.

Family friend Kristalle Tayler started the page as she wrote: “In seconds, laughter turned to panic as his family witnessed the unimaginable unfold before their eyes.

“Despite the incredible efforts of rescue teams and doctors, Kane tragically passed away from his injuries.”

Kane’s popularity meant his heartbroken friends managed to raise over $5,000 in the first two hours.

The GiveALittle fundraiser now sits at over $16,600 with over 430 people donating.

Kane was also set to become a dad once again in a few months time after he and his partner, Jasmine, announced they were expecting their second child together.

Mrs Tayler added: “To have witnessed such a tragedy and now face life without him is almost unbearable.

“Kane was a much-loved son, brother, partner and, above all, a devoted father.

“His greatest joy was being with his children – not only his own, but also the kids he cared for and loved as if they were his own.

“Family was always at the very centre of who he was. 

“Most heartbreakingly, his youngest child, due early next year, will never get to meet him, but will grow up hearing stories of the incredible man who loved them before they were born.

“Kane’s absence leaves a hole that can never be filled.”

The dad’s devastated sister, Shaquille, has also paid tribute to her “favourite person” in an emotional statement to local news outlet Stuff.

Shaquille said his death has “completely shattered her” as she said: “He was just an amazing dad. I guess that’s where it’s like just the most heartbreaking thing.”

It follows a schoolboy who was buried alive in a hole he dug at the beach in 2021.

Arthur Correa Nunes, 10, died after crawling into the pit in dunes near Praia da Galheta Beach in Laguna, Brazil before it collapsed on him while playing with pals.

Years earlier, tragic Eoin Corcoran, 14, was submerged from the knees up when tonnes of sand collapsed and crushed him to death.

The teen was tunneling in a dune to seek shelter from the wind, an inquest heard.