Disasters & Accidents

Boy trapped in concrete pillar in Vietnam declared dead

(Update: adds death of boy)

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Jan 4 (EFE).- A 10-year-old boy who fell into a hollow concrete pillar at a construction site in the southern province of Dong Thap four days ago has died,Vietnamese authorities said Wednesday.

The provincial deputy chairman, Doan Tan Buu, said the boy has been pronounced dead and work is now focused on recovering the body and handing it over to the family, according to news portal VNExpress.

Thai Ly Hao Nam fell into the 25cm-wide shaft of the pillar while looking for scrap metal on a bridge construction site with friends on Saturday, New Year’s Eve.

Security cameras captured the moment in which the boy suddenly disappears while walking on the uneven ground.

Initially, the child could be heard crying for help, but he stopped responding after a few hours.

On Tuesday morning, rescuers put a steel pipe around the pillar and pumped water in to remove the soil from around it and reduce friction, VnExpress website reported.

After removing some of the earth surrounding the pile in the hopes of extracting him, the teams abandoned the plan because of the risk that the pile might break, according to VnExpress.

Some 350 rescuers, including police and firefighters, have been on the scene since Saturday to help rescue the child, pumping oxygen into the hole so that he could breathe and sending him water. EFE

esj-grc/tw-ks

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