A six-year-old boy who had been missing for five days has been found deep in a forest in Vietnam.
Dang Tien Lam, who lives in the northwestern province of Yen Bai, was playing in a stream with his nine siblings on August 17 when he wandered into the hills and got lost, local reports said.
The boy was discovered by local farmers on Wednesday when they heard a baby crying while clearing a cinnamon field near the forest.
Lam, found sitting in cassava bushes about 6km (3.7 miles) from where he went missing, had become so weak he could not stand.
“I’m so tired, I can’t stand up anymore, please carry me,” Mr. Lam said, according to 52-year-old farmer Ly Van Nang, one of the people who found the boy.
Reports said Lam survived on leaves and wild fruits, as well as drinking stream water.
Photos online showed locals caring for him and giving him cakes after he was pulled from the forest. They showed him wearing a red T-shirt and shorts, completely filthy and with disheveled hair.
“[The child told me] that when he got lost, he couldn’t find his way home. And the more he walked, the more he couldn’t find his way out,” Mr. Nang said, according to local news site Dan Tri.
Police said it was a “miracle” that Lam was found alive, adding that his health was stable. “Congratulations on returning home safely to your family,” they wrote in a Facebook post.
The news brought relief on Vietnamese social media, with many congratulating Lam’s family and thanking the search team for their efforts.
Local authorities have mobilized more than 150 people – including police, soldiers and local volunteers – to search for Lam.
