Vietnam: Rescuers battle to free 10-year-old boy trapped in construction site

Rescuers have been desperately trying to save a 10-year-old boy in Vietnam who fell into a narrow land cavity three days ago. On New Year's eve, Ly Hao Nam, the 10-year-old boy, fell into the open shaft of a concrete pile at a construction site.

Shortly after Ly fell into the pile on a Saturday morning, he started crying for help. But as rescuers lowered their cameras into the 35-metre-long support pillar to locate his position on Monday, they did not receive any response from him.

The incident occurred in the Mekong delta province at a bridge construction site, AFP news agency reported. The reports say that before the boy fell into the pit, he searched for scrap iron to play with his friends.

"I cannot understand how he fell into the hollow concrete pile. It has a diameter of 25 cm. And it was only driven 35 metres into the ground," Le Hoang Bao, director of Dong Thap province's Department of Transport, told a local newspaper.

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The rescuers also tried to lift the pile with cranes and excavators. However, despite continuous efforts, they have failed to determine Ly's position.

They softened the soil around the pile and pumped oxygen into it, due to which the shaft titled, making the extraction process more complicated.

(With inputs from agencies)