Three weeks after he fell into a concrete pipe: Dead boy found in Vietnam Protests against planned pension reforms in France

Three weeks after a boy fell into a 35-meter-deep concrete pipe in Vietnam, emergency services recovered his body. Ten-year-old Nam’s coffin was handed over to his parents, who received him in tears, the newspaper “VnExpress” reported on Friday. The child was pronounced dead on January 4, 100 hours after the accident and after failed attempts to pull the pipe out of the ground.

In the early morning (local time), two members of the rescue team descended 24 meters in an iron pipe that had been placed around the concrete pipe. There they managed to get to the body with special equipment and after two hours brought it to the surface. Further details were not known. Rescue workers had been working tirelessly for weeks to save the boy.

An investigation found the child died of multiple injuries sustained in the fall, the paper said, Dong Thap province deputy director Doan Tan Buu said. Authorities are now investigating to find out how the accident happened.

The accident at a construction site for a new bridge in southwest Vietnam made headlines around the world early this year. Where exactly little Nam was in the pipe was unclear for a long time. It was only about 10 inches in diameter. Authorities said no one thought a 10-year-old could be trapped that deep in the tube. According to reports, there were only signs of the boy’s life for the first ten minutes after the fall. (saw/sda/dpa)