He hangs on to boy even when dead

CHINA - His grandfather died while holding on to him throughout the night, saving his life at the price of his own.

An 18-month-old toddler fell into an abandoned well on Monday afternoon in Xincai County, located in the city of Zhumadian, Henan, said a local fire department.

Grandfather Duan Shuyou and his grandson Duan Haoran are from a nearby village.

While trying to save Haoran after the boy fell into the well, Mr Duan went into the well head first, grabbing on to his grandson.

Haoran had slipped into a 10cm-wide crack and fallen about 4m into the old well.

Mr Duan hung on to his grandson throughout the night as they remained stuck in the narrow space.

Shin Min Daily News reported that when the pair were found, the grandfather had already stopped breathing, but was still holding on tightly to the crying toddler.

Lianhe Wanbao reported that rescuers who arrived at the scene were unwilling to move Mr Duan's body in fear that doing so would affect Haoran's safety.

They instead let down a length of rope, hoping to oop it around the boy to secure him, and to pull him out of the well. That plan fell through due to the boy's small size and the well's narrow space.

Rescuers later excavated land about 1m away from the victims, digging a hole 5m deep before digging in the direction of the well.

Shin Min Daily News reported that after three hours, the boy was rescued. Officers had broken a 40cm-wide hole through the side of the well and the boy was carried out.

Reports state the boy is in a stable condition and is at a hospital undergoing further medical examinations.

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