Rescuers searching for boy stuck in well for 4 nights in China

Rescuers and volunteers search for a 5-year-old boy after he fell down and was trapped in a 40 meter deep abandoned well.

Chinese rescue crews are searching for a 5-year-old boy who has been stuck down a deserted well in Hebei in northern China for four nights.

He fell down the well, which was just one foot (30 centimeters) wide, on Sunday morning while helping his father harvest vegetables, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Too narrow for adults to climb into, rescuers are digging out the well, which is 40 meters deep.

Aerial shots of the scene show excavators working on soft sandy soil around the dry well. Xinhua said the earth was prone to collapse and measures had been taken to support the shaft.

It's not clear whether the boy is still alive but water and food has been sent down the 40-meter shaft. Oxygen has also been pumped in.

More than 500 rescuers are at the scene.

The latest local media report said the search was still ongoing at 9 a.m. (8 p.m. ET) Thursday, but there was still no sign of the boy.