Two boys who were buried after a sand dune collapsed on a Great Barrier Island beach were reportedly digging tunnels in the sand during a family picnic.

One of the boys, aged 14, was found with his legs sticking out from the sand and was pulled out with the help of a vehicle, Stuff reported.

The other, a 12-year-old, was completely buried and was not breathing by the time he was extracted, the report said.

The two boys remained in a critical condition in Starship Hospital, a Te Whatu Ora spokesperson said today.

Emergency services were called to Medlands Beach around 4.30pm yesterday afternoon. Beachgoers and emergency services, including staff from two rescue helicopters, scrambled to dig the boys out. They were airlifted to Starship.

Residents said the dunes at the beach had been badly damaged in Cyclone Gabrielle in February, piling the sand into small, unstable cliffs.

One of the boys attended Kaitoke School nearby.

Principal Leanne Eloff described it as a “terrible freak accident”.

 “Our focus is on supporting the family, along with the wider school whānau, through this hugely difficult time,” she said.

“We are a tight-knit community here on Aotea, where everybody knows each other, so something like this impacts everyone.

“We are all hoping for a full recovery for the boys.”