Vietnamese authorities announced Wednesday that the 10-year-old boy trapped down a 115-foot deep concrete hole since New Year’s Eve is dead, according to reports.
The boy, identified as Thai Ly Hao Nam, initially was heard crying for help when he slipped through a 10-inch diameter shaft at a bridge construction site in the Dong Thap province Saturday morning while searching for scrap metal with friends.
Despite oxygen being pumped down into the hole amid efforts to reach him, the boy stopped interacting with rescuers Monday. Crews lowered down a camera to try to pinpoint his location.
The BBC reported Wednesday the boy was cut while rescuers were trying to raise the pillar.
VIETNAM RESCUERS RACE TO SAVE BOY TRAPPED DOWN 115-FOOT CONCRETE HOLE SINCE NEW YEAR'S EVE
Doan Tan Buu, deputy chief of the southern Vietnam province, also said not enough oxygen could reach the 10-year-old, who had already suffered multiple injuries.
"We had prioritized the rescue of the boy. However, the conditions mean it is impossible the boy has survived," he said.
The official said he consulted with medical experts before declaring the boy’s death Wednesday, but crews would still work to recover the 10-year-old’s body as soon as possible for proper burial, AFP reported. The official added that doing so would be a "very difficult task."
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Monday tapped federal rescuers to join local authorities’ efforts to save the boy, AFP reported.
Hundreds of soldiers and engineering experts were mobilized Tuesday to try to save him, according to the BBC. Crews tried drilling to soften the soil surrounding the pillar to attempt to bring the pillar upward out of the ground. They also lowered down a 62-foot pipe to try to remove mud and water to soften pressure around the pillar.
