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Key Biscayne Sandcastle Crowned World's Tallest

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KEY BISCAYNE (CBSMiami) – The world's tallest sandcastle has been crowned at Historic Virginia Key Beach.

On Monday, a representative from Guinness World Records made a visit for the official measuring.

At 45 feet 10.25 inches tall, the castle put together by Turkish Airlines is now officially the tallest ever.

The previous record belonged to a sandcastle built by Caterpillar in November of 2014. That structure, which was in Brazil, stood 41 feet 3.67 inches tall.

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The Turkish Airlines build was led by sand-sculpting royalty Ted Siebert who now holds eight records.

About 18 to 20 other artists took part in the build and used over 1,800 tons of sand to complete the structure.

The artists had a close call earlier in the week when heavy winds and rain came whipping through and destroyed part of the castle, including the decorative finials that top the apex of each castle tower.

Depicted in the sculpture's design are popular landmarks from around the world like the Taj Mahal, the Statue of Liberty and the leaning tower of Pisa. Notable sites from Istanbul are displayed prominently up front. Behind it is the downtown Miami skyline.

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