Tunnel Collapse Kills 2 FL Teens; Family Donates Organs: Reports

GAINESVILLE, FL — The family of one of two 14-year-old boys killed when a tunnel collapsed over the weekend is donating his organs, a media outlet reported Thursday evening.

The collapse happened in a sandpit around 12:45 p.m. Sunday at Sportsman Park in Inverness, ABC News reported.

The boys were best friends and had been digging the sand hole before it fell onto them and buried them, the news outlet reported, citing the Citrus County Sheriff's Office.

They had also been digging a tunnel, and both the hole and tunnel were around 4 or 5 feet deep, Fox13News reported.

The teenagers were identified in media reports as George Watts and Derrick Hubbard. A GoFundMe established for Watts said the boys had been digging in sugar sand and were inside when it collapsed.

"What should have been another day of childhood adventure turned into a heartbreaking loss that no parent should ever have to endure. Our precious boys were taken from us far too soon," organizers wrote in the GoFundMe.

Authorities responded to the scene after getting reports of them being lost and being notified of a "large hole," authorities told ABC News.

One of the boys' cellphone pinged underground, and first responders were able to retrieve Watts and Hubbard around 1:15 p.m., the report says.

Hubbard was reportedly pronounced dead Sunday at HCA Florida Citrus Hospital while Watts died Tuesday at UF Health Shands in Gainesville.

They reportedly attended Inverness Middle School. The school shared the following statement on Monday, in part:

"This situation has deeply affected many within our school and district community. ... We extend our heartfelt thoughts and support to the students, families and all those impacted. Thank you for your care, compassion and support for one another during this time."

Zachariah Roberson, a family friend and neighbor, told Fox13 the boys were football players and that Hubbard had just made the basketball team.

"We all encourage our children to get out and play, get off electronics and that's exactly what they were doing out here," Roberson told the news outlet. "Bright children, always smiling, always laughing, high energy, just truly a sad situation."

Watts' family will donate his organs, and he was honored with a walk at UF Health Shands, Fox13 reported.

The Citrus County Education Foundation has established the D.J. and George Memorial Fund to benefit their families.

Roberson, operator of Doggylicious Florida in Inverness, will partner with other food trucks for an upcoming barbecue to raise funding, Fox13 reported.

The GoFundMe established by Watts' family neared its $45,000 goal on Friday afternoon. Funding will benefit unexpected expenses related to emergency response, medical care and funeral arrangements, organizer Jasmine Watts wrote.

"These two boys shared a bond that went beyond friendship—they were inseparable, full of life, curiosity and dreams for the future," she said.