Millions of citizens watched online as rescue workers moved mountains of earth in their efforts to reach the child. Zhao Zicong, known as Congcong, disappeared on Sunday morning while playing with his sister on farmland in Lixian county, near Baoding city in northern China. His father was harvesting cabbages near by. Rescue efforts quickly focused on an irrigation well, only 30cm (12in) wide, that had been abandoned five years ago but had been left open, like many wells in the area. The rescuers reached the boy at about 11.10pm local time today.

Source: The Times November 10, 2016 17:10 UTC