“The boy died after futile rescue attempts,” Doan Tan Buu, deputy head of government of Dong Thap province in southern Vietnam, told reporters late Wednesday. He added that they are now trying to get his body back as soon as possible.
A team of doctors, forensic experts and local authorities concluded that the boy died due to several factors. These include the location of the accident, the depth of the drain, the time required to recover the body and any injuries sustained.
Efforts were still continuing Wednesday morning. A camera lowered into the pipe earlier had shown no signs of life.
The boy had fallen into the drain on Saturday at the site of a bridge construction site. The pipe is only 25 centimeters in diameter. According to local media, the boy first called for help after he fell. Emergency services repeatedly pumped oxygen from the depths.