Authorities say 12-year-old Ezra Cornman was playing in the sand with his siblings in Long Branch when the tunnel they were digging caved in.
He was crushed underneath the sand.
A police spokesman said the tunnel ran for about six feet and was about two to three feet deep. The boy's mother called 911 while lifeguards dug him out and performed CPR.
Ezra was rushed to Monmouth Medical Center, where he later died.
The funeral was held in Ocean, New Jersey.
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