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"Authorities spent the past few days searching for my missing child," the 34-year-old mother said. "I prayed for a miracle, but it didn't happen. I hope that the rescue team will return the body of my son soon so my family can hold a funeral for him soon."
Doan Tan Buu, deputy chairman of Dong Thap Province, confirmed Wednesday that the boy, Thai Ly Hao Nam, had died after being stuck for four days in the hole at a bridge construction site in the province's Phu Loi Commune.
Thai Van Tan Tai, 40, Nam’s father, was brought to the scene of the accident before local officials announced his son's death.
The redness in his eyes and blank expression could be seen on his face after hearing the news.
He had been stationed himself at the construction site for the past few days, hoping to receive the good news that his son had been rescued.
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Thai Van Tan Tai observes the rescue mission of his son at the accident scene in Dong Thap Province. Photo by VnExpress/Hoang Nam |
Neighbors gathered at Tai's house, about a kilometer away from the accident scene, to pay their respects and mourn his loss.
Linh revealed that her family faces many financial struggles. She had been staying at home most of the time to take care of Nam and her 21-month-old daughter.
Her husband picks up multiple jobs but only makes between VND100,000-200,000 ($4.26-8.51) per day, which is barely enough to support his family.
Nam was to enter fifth grade this year.
His mom would give him around VND5,000-10,000 each day so he could buy breakfast before going to school every morning, but he was still thin and small for his age.
Nam was 3.1 kg at birth and now, at age 10, he weighed slightly over 20 kg.
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Nguyen Thi My Linh at her home in Phu Loi Commune, Thanh Binh District, on January 2, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Tai |
"Nam was an obedient child. He wanted to study martial arts but didn't want to bother his mother with a request for financial support, so he instead went out to make money by selling scraps,’ Linh recalled. "Only recently did he reveal to me that he had managed to set aside VND21,000. He said he would hunt for more scrap to sell until he had the VND60,000 necessary to cover his school fees."
After 100 hours of unsuccessful attempts by different agencies to rescue Nam, Buu said the functional forces had decided to end the failed rescue attempt.
The authorities now plan to recover his body as soon as possible, he added.
Nam and three of his neighbors went to a bridge construction site on Provincial Road 857 on December 31, to gather pieces of iron for the purpose of selling them to scrap vendors.
He was walking when he suddenly fell into a hollow concrete pillar, which measured 25 centimeters across, and was trapped.
No one knows for sure where in the pillar the boy was. Witnesses said he screamed for help for 10 minutes after falling in, but rescuers have not heard from him since then.
The moment the boy falls into the pillar as captured by a security camera
