A six-year-old boy who went missing inside a hilly forest in Vietnam has been found alive after five days in what is being hailed as a “miracle” rescue.
Dang Tien Lam, who lives in the Van Yen district of the northeast region of Vietnam, went missing on August 17 after he went to play with his siblings near a stream and decided to return home alone.
But hours after he failed to return, police were alerted and a search operation was launched to find Lam.
More than 200 people, including police officers, soldiers, militia members and local volunteers were mobilized to find Lam.
Investigators scanned surveillance footage from nearby areas to eliminate the possibility of kidnapping and also drained out fish ponds and scoured through streams to ensure he did not drown, district head Ha Duc Anh said.
He was finally found on Wednesday after a local farmer heard his faint cries in the woods as he was returning to his tent. Ly Van Nang, 52, began his search in the area and found Lam sitting in cassava bushes. He said Lam was so exhausted and weak that he was unable to stand.
Mr Nang said the boy asked him to carry him as he could not stand up.
“I picked him up, and he said he was tired and hungry, asking if I had anything to eat,” Mr. Nang recounted.
Pictures showed a mud-covered frail boy in a red T-shirt drinking juice while sitting on a chair. He was also pictured in a hospital receiving care.
Lam said he survived on leaves and wild fruit during his time in the forest, according to reports.
He was found some 6km deep into the woods from where he went missing.
The police said finding Lam alive was a “miracle” and congratulated the family for the safe return of the boy. “Congratulations on returning safely to your family,”
Mr Nang said, “[The boy told me] that when he got lost, he couldn’t find his way home.”
“And the more he walked, the more he could not find a way out.”