my expectations is this is a body recovery at that point. just horrifying to think of that. >> but life guards, firefighters, police, and the volunteers continue to work feverishly. >> i tried to pull a couple of them out of the whole after about 20 minutes of digging, but they just wouldn't come out. they were in there and they were going to pull him out. >> after 30 minutes of frantic digging, finally news comes from the center of the giant pit. rescuers can see the top of meena's head. >> that was a long time. >> and unbelievably, it looks like he was alive. >> he was taking slow gasping breaths and his ears were blue. which indicated to us that we were literally within a minute or two of perhaps losing brain cells and matt dying. >> the rescuers quickly get the sand away from meena's face and get him oxygen. they place a bucket over his