Hundreds of people on Monday fought to save a 10-year-old child who fell into a 35-meter-deep pit two days ago at a construction site in southern Vietnam, AFP reports.

Thai man Lee Hao Nam was apparently scavenging for scrap metal when he fell inside a hollow concrete column just 25 centimeters wide, cast for a bridge in Dong Thap province, a rescue team member said.

“We are doing everything possible. We can’t say what the boy’s condition is yet,” he added.

Authorities “are not sure of the boy’s current condition. He was no longer communicating with those outside, although oxygen was still being pumped inside,” Vietnamese newspaper Tuoi Tre reported.

According to the media, the rescuers tried to drill and soften the ground around in order to lift the pole and pull out the child.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Monday asked the federal authorities to join the efforts of local teams to save the boy.