Four days after a Vietnamese boy fell into a 115-foot-deep hole, rescuers on Tuesday were still working to save him as rain hampered their efforts.
Thai Ly Hao Nam, who's 10 years old, fell into the 10-inch-wide hole on Saturday while he was looking for scrap metal in the southern Dong Thap province, authorities said.
Although oxygen has been pumped down into the hole, on Monday the boy stopped responding to emergency workers, says a rescuer identified only as Sau.
"We are trying our best," Sau told the AFP, per CBS News. "We cannot tell the boy's condition yet."
Rescuers have tried to pull the pillar out of the ground after drilling three spots around the concrete pile, but have so far been unsuccessful, Vietnamese news outlet Tuoi Tre News reported. Crews also attempted to make soil around the concrete pillar softer, but rain on Monday hindered their efforts.
"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," Huynh Van No, chairman of the People’s Committee of Thanh Binh District, told Tuoi Tre News. "We will still use large machinery but ensure that the concrete pile will not fall."
Authorities called the situation very complicated. Le Hoang Bao, the director of the provincial Department of Transport, told Tuoi Tre News he couldn't understand how the boy fell into the hollow concrete pillar, considering the narrow 10-inch diameter.
On Monday, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh ordered federal emergency crews to join the rescue effort and mobilize all possible forces and equipment to save the boy, Tuoi Tre News reported.
Chinh also ordered enhanced inspections and supervision of projects around the country to prevent similar incidents, according to the outlet.
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