Vietnamese authorities on Wednesday declared dead the 10-year-old boy who fell four days ago into a 35-meter-deep hollow concrete pile at a construction site in the southern province of Dong Thap.

The vice president of the province, Doan Tan Buu, indicated that the boy has been presumed dead and that work is now focused on recovering the body to hand it over to the family, according to news portal VNExpress.

Thai Ly Hao Nam, 10, went with three neighbors to pick up metal at a bridge construction site in Dong Thap last Saturday when he fell into the hollow concrete pile, barely 25 centimeters in diameter.

Security cameras at the construction site captured the moment when the child suddenly disappeared when he fell while walking on the uneven ground in the area. At first, the boy could be heard crying for help, but he stopped reacting after a few hours.

Boy, 10, declared dead after falling into 115-feet deep construction site hole in Vietnam https://t.co/SL95Qeqplx #breakingnews

— Get Hyped News Network (@gethypedllc) January 4, 2023

After removing some of the soil debris surrounding the pile with the idea of extracting him, the teams abandoned the plan because of the possibility that the pile might break, according to VnExpress.

Rescue teams, which include soldiers, were trying Wednesday to place a 1.5-meter-diameter steel pillar around the pile where the boy is trapped.

The objective was to remove the earth debris at the bottom of the pile – closed at the lower end – to reduce friction and then use cranes and specialized equipment to lift the concrete pillar.

Since the accident occurred, some 350 rescuers, including police and firefighters, have been on the scene to rescue the child, pumping oxygen into the hole so that he could continue to breathe and sending him water.

-Thailand News (TN)