Two kids were found dead Monday after they were accidently buried alive in North Carolina.

James Caldwell, 7, and Chloe Arwood, 6, were playing near a dirt hole when it collapsed, causing the children to be buried 20 feet deep in their backyard, according to the Christian Post. The father called 911 Sunday in hopes they could rescue them from the dirt.

Lincoln County Emergency Services spokesman Dion Burleson told the Christian Post that children were declared dead at the scene and were transported to the Lincoln County Medical Examiner's Office.

"There were several thousand pounds of dirt on top of them," Sheriff David Carpenter told Fox. The children were at the bottom of the pit when the incident occurred, attempting to retrieve a child's pickaxe toy. Carpenter added that the family had been too distraught to interview, but some reports suggested that the father was working on 'protective bunker.'"

It is reported that the father did not have a permit for the construction that was done in the backyard.

"They were so distraught we hope to be able to talk to them today and come up with some information on that," Carpenter told Fox. "It's a very large hole. It would look to be something like that, but I don't know. ... We're going to find out exactly what his intentions were."