An Australian man buried alive in sand at a Queensland beach in a freak accident has died after a six-day battle for his life. 

Josh Taylor fell into a hole at popular tourist spot Bribie Island on Saturday afternoon, where he was buried under 1.5m of sand. 

The 25-year-old and his friends had been cooking a pig in a sand pit when the incident unfolded. 

Friends and family desperately attempted to keep him alive, taking turns giving him CPR until emergency services arrived and transported him to Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane. 

A witness explained that Taylor stood up from his chair before losing his footing and stumbled down the hole where the walls caved in on him. 

Taylor’s friends ran over to a group of beachgoers and yelled for help to try and rescue the buried man. 

“I realised someone was head first in a hole and I was just digging, digging, digging,” the witness named Nathan told NCA NewsWire 

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

Josh Taylor was trapped after a sand hole collapsed around him, burying him alive at Bribie Island. It took 40 minutes for his pulse to come back. 

In total there were about 15 people who desperately tried to dig Taylor out of the hold. 

“All of his family were screaming at us, telling us to help, telling us to get rope so we could pull him out. It was pretty gruesome,” Nathan recalled. 

“There were like 15 men on the rope pulling and he did not budge.” 

As rescuers scrambled and pulled, Taylor burst through the surface of the sand but suffered further injuries from the force. 

“It was pretty gnarly when he popped out. I threw up. 

“He broke. The suction, the force of everyone pulling.” 

Taylor had no pulse when he was pulled from the hole. Rangers applied a defibrillator before paramedics arrived and transported him to hospital. 

On Thursday, after battling for his life for six days, family confirmed the 25-year-old had passed away after his life support was switched off. 

Taylor’s uncle Barry told media the family is heartbroken. 

“We’re devastated - it’s really been hard for us to comprehend what’s happened to Josh.” 

In a statement following his death, family said Taylor’s injuries were “too severe” to overcome. 

Josh Taylor's family have paid tribute to the 25-year-old who died following a Queensland beach tragedy. 

“He fought as hard as he could and is the most courageous person we will ever know,” the family said in a statement. 

“He was the best son, brother, boyfriend and mate we could all have wished for. 

“We love you Josh and will miss you every minute of every day. Goodbye mate, until we see each other again.” 

Tributes have poured in since the tragic accident rocked the family. 

A GoFundMe to help relieve the family of some of the emotional stress of covering his medical costs raised $64,000 before his death. 

“The unimaginable has happened to their beloved son, Josh, a vibrant and adventurous soul who has brought so much joy to those around him,” fundraiser organiser Georgia Hoffman wrote in the description.