10-year-old boy trapped in pit in Vietnam stops responding to rescuers

A 10-year-old kid who was searching for scrap metal with his buddies at a bridge building site in southern Vietnam on New Year's Eve when he fell into a 10-inch-wide pit has ceased responding to rescuers.

Since Saturday, the youngster has been trapped inside a constricting open concrete mound in Dong Thap Province, and more than 200 rescuers have been working to free him.

Authorities are unaware of Ly Hao Nam's current status as he has ceased reacting to the rescuers despite crying out for assistance after sliding into the pile.

The youngster's circumstance differs from earlier instances since the pillar is too narrow for a rescuer to squeeze inside and reach the boy. The situation is "extremely complicated," a firefighter from Ho Chi Minh City told VnExpress, adding "the only solution is to pull the pillar up."

Doan Tan Buu, deputy chairman of the Dong Thap Provincial People's Committee, claims that there is just a slim chance that the youngster is still alive because he has been presumed to have sustained several injuries and has been locked in a small space for four days.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh ordered federal rescuers, military, and engineering specialists to work together by Tuesday to release the youngster.

Local rescuers are currently drilling to soften the dirt around the pile, clearing it of mud, and injecting oxygen into the support pillar.

The team is determined to remove the 35-meter structure from the ground by Tuesday, according to Le Hoang Bao, director of Dong Thap's transport division. They want to pull the mound up using specialist machinery before cutting it to release the boy.