The massive race to save a boy who fell over 100 feet into a hole in the concrete at a construction site is coming to an end. State media reported that the 10-year-old boy was pronounced dead on Wednesday afternoon.
Tai Lee Ho Nam reportedly fell into a pit after entering a construction site in the southern province of Dong Thap with three other children on New Year’s Eve looking for scrap metal. The hole was less than 10 inches wide, according to Vietnam’s state news agency.
Authorities said they determined the boy’s death after evaluating the details of the incident, the publication reported. Vietnam News reported that the boy had been in the pit for five days and the depth of the pit could have caused damage. Now rescuers are trying to find his body as soon as possible.
Reuters reported earlier this week that the boy called for help shortly after he fell into a garbage dump, but rescuers did not respond on Monday. Officials tried to pump oxygen down the shaft to help the boy breathe as about 100 soldiers tried to save him, according to the BBC. Rescuers spent about 100 hours trying to free the boy, according to local news agency VN Express.
The footage from the scene shows that the construction site is littered with debris and dirt. Workers are repairing the bridge. VN Express previously reported that rescuers used a 62-foot metal pipe to try and get the boy out of the mud pit. The provincial transport chief said warning signs had been put up around the site, but officials are investigating whether there have been security breaches, VN Express reported.
Lee Cohen is a social media producer and social justice reporter for CBS News.