Man airlifted to hospital after being buried in sand

A man has been airlifted to hospital after he fell into a large hole and was buried in sand on an island in Queensland.

Emergency services were called to an incident on the northeast side of Bribie Island, off the Sunshine Coast, just before 2pm on Saturday.

A Sunshine Coast-based rescue helicopter landed on the beach a short time later to deliver a critical care doctor and paramedic as close to the scene as possible.

The aeromedical crew, joined by paramedics, police and fire and emergency officers, worked together to transfer the injured man to the rescue helicopter.

The man, aged in his twenties, was flown to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in a critical condition.