A 10-year-old boy in Vietnam, who has been trapped in a concrete pile measuring 35 metres deep since 31 December, has since been declared dead, according to Reuters.
Rescuers had spent almost 100 hours trying to free 10-year-old Lý Hạo Nam, but to no avail.
The boy was pronounced dead yesterday afternoon (4 January) by the local authorities, according to Vietnam News.
The authorities declared the boy dead after assessing the time and location of the accident, which was deemed to have likely caused the boy multiple injuries.
They also factored in the harsh conditions of the concrete pit in their decision-making.
The rescuers are now trying to search for the boy’s body instead of finding him alive anymore.
Recap
The boy was with three other children from his neighbourhood in the afternoon of 31 December, when they went to a construction site of a bridge to collect some metal pieces, according to VnExpress.
He then fell down a concrete pillar that measured about 25cm across, and was trapped inside.
The boy was heard by witnesses screaming for 10 minutes after he fell in, but then he eerily stopped screaming after that.
The authorities deployed equipment and rescuers to save the boy, giving him oxygen and water to keep him alive, but it all proved to be in vain.
They will now be trying to retrieve his body to prepare for the funeral, with the authorities bringing the boy’s father to the scene before they declared his son dead.