Rescuers Rush to Save Boy, 10, Trapped Underground After He Fell into Concrete Pillar in Vietnam

Kimberlee Speakman
·2 min read
1
Rescuers look down into the site of where a 10-year-old boy is thought to be trapped in a 35-metre deep shaft at a bridge construction area in Vietnam's Dong Thap province on January 2, 2023. - Hundreds of rescuers in Vietnam battled January 2 to free a 10-year-old boy who fell into a 35-metre deep hole on a construction site two days ago.
Rescuers look down into the site of where a 10-year-old boy is thought to be trapped in a 35-metre deep shaft at a bridge construction area in Vietnam's Dong Thap province on January 2, 2023. - Hundreds of rescuers in Vietnam battled January 2 to free a 10-year-old boy who fell into a 35-metre deep hole on a construction site two days ago.

STR/AFP via Getty

Efforts continue in Vietnam to rescue a 10-year-old boy who fell into a concrete pile at a construction site on New Year's Eve.

The boy, identified as Ly Hao Nam, had reportedly been searching for scrap metal with his friends when he fell down a 35-meter (115-ft.) pillar shaft in Vietnam's Dong Thap province, where work on a bridge was underway.

"I cannot understand how he fell into the hollow concrete pile," which has a diameter of less than 10 inches and was driven 115 feet into the ground, Dong Thap Department of Transport Director Le Hoang Bao told Vietnam newspaper Tuoi Tre News, per NBC News.

Hundreds of rescuers worked around the clock to try to help the boy escape, including pumping oxygen down the shaft to help him breathe and softening the soil around the concrete pile. Attempts to lift the concrete pile with cranes and excavators so far have been unsuccessful, according to the BBC.

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Their latest move on Monday was to attempt to locate his position by lowering a camera down the pillar. However, rescuers said they received no response from Ly Hao Nam, who had been vocal two days prior, calling out for help after falling in.

Rescuers gather at the site of where a 10-year-old boy is thought to be trapped in a 35-metre deep shaft at a bridge construction area in Vietnam's Dong Thap province on January 2, 2023. - Hundreds of rescuers in Vietnam battled January 2 to free a 10-year-old boy who fell into a 35-metre deep hole on a construction site two days ago.
Rescuers gather at the site of where a 10-year-old boy is thought to be trapped in a 35-metre deep shaft at a bridge construction area in Vietnam's Dong Thap province on January 2, 2023. - Hundreds of rescuers in Vietnam battled January 2 to free a 10-year-old boy who fell into a 35-metre deep hole on a construction site two days ago.

STR/AFP via Getty

"We are trying our best. We cannot tell the boy's condition yet," one rescuer who identified himself as Sau told AFP news agency, per BBC.

The Tuoi Tre newspaper reported that rain also hindered rescue efforts on Monday morning.

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"We paused the rescue task to wait for other vehicles and equipment to continue saving the boy. It means that the rescue plan has changed," People's Committee of Thanh Binh District Chairman Huynh Van No told the publication.

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"We will still use large machinery but ensure that the concrete pile will not fall. With this solution, we expect to quickly save the boy and ensure his safety," he added.

Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has asked federal rescue workers to coordinate and aid in local efforts to save the boy, according to multiple news sites.