Four-year-old dies after four-hour rescue from narrow construction hole in South Jakarta

INDONESIA: A four-year-old boy died after becoming trapped for nearly four hours in a narrow hole at a construction site in South Jakarta before being rescued alive and later dying on the way to hospital.

The boy, identified only by the initial I, fell into a hole measuring approximately 3.7 metres deep and about 30 centimetres in diameter at a multi-purpose sports field construction project in the Manggarai area of Tebet on Saturday night, 27 June 2026.

According to police, the incident occurred at around 11.40pm local time. The child had been playing with friends near the construction site before entering the restricted area and falling into the hole.

"It was established that the victim had been playing with his friends around the construction site before falling into a foundation hole approximately 3.5 to 4 metres deep," Tebet Police Chief AKP Ischak told reporters on Monday, 29 June.

Fire and rescue officials said the child entered the construction area after passing beneath a sheet-metal barrier.

“At the start of the incident, the victim was playing and, without realising it, went beneath a sheet-metal barrier and ran into a park construction area. While running, he fell into the hole,” the Fire and Rescue Command Centre said in a statement issued on Sunday.

Residents living near the site said a number of children had been playing around the construction area late that night. Although barriers had been installed around the project, some children reportedly managed to enter the site.

“There is nowhere to play. Usually the other children are already asleep at that time. There were only a few of his friends with him that night. The area was closed off because they wanted to get inside,” a local resident, Parmi, said.

Residents initially did not realise that a child had fallen into the hole. According to Parmi, the situation only became apparent when one of the boy’s friends began shouting for help.

“When one of his friends started shouting for help, everyone immediately woke up. We didn’t know exactly where he had fallen. We only knew he was down there,” she said.

The victim’s family reported the incident at 12.02am local time. Rescue personnel were dispatched shortly afterwards and began operations at 12.15am.

“The victim’s family immediately reported the incident to the Matraman Fire and Rescue Unit. The information was then passed on to SCC 41 and action was taken straight away,” the Fire and Rescue Command Centre said.

Before emergency services arrived, residents attempted to rescue the boy using ropes and hand tools.

“We tried to help. We dug with hoes and used ropes and all sorts of things, but we couldn’t get him out because it was slippery. In the end, we called the fire brigade,” Parmi said.

Authorities said initial rescue attempts were carried out manually using personnel with small body frames. However, the narrow dimensions of the hole made access difficult.

Rescuers subsequently coordinated with the fire and rescue service, local health authorities, Tebet Regional General Hospital and heavy-equipment operators to continue the operation.

Residents said the hole was extremely narrow, roughly the size of a three-kilogram gas cylinder, forcing rescuers to excavate the surrounding ground with great caution.

“The hole was very small, about the size of a three-kilogram gas cylinder. That’s why they had to use heavy equipment to dig around it. I saw they were being extremely careful because they were worried he might be buried,” Parmi said.

After nearly four hours of rescue efforts, the child was successfully pulled from the hole at around 3.55am on Sunday, 28 June.

“The victim was successfully evacuated at around 3.55am and was then taken to Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital for medical treatment,” Ischak said.

Kusnanto, head of the Tebet sector of the South Jakarta Fire and Rescue Agency, said the child was still alive when rescuers reached him.

“After speaking to my personnel who carried out the rescue, and with local residents also witnessing it, the victim was still alive. He could not be saved during the journey to hospital,” Kusnanto said.

He added that the boy was still showing signs of life immediately after being rescued.

“He was still crying while being carried on the rescuer’s shoulder,” Kusnanto said.

The child was transported by ambulance to Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital in Central Jakarta but died before receiving further treatment.

Following the incident, police launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident and whether any negligence contributed to the boy's death.

“At present, the police are still conducting an investigation by questioning witnesses, gathering statements and evidence, and examining whether there were any elements of negligence in this incident in accordance with the applicable laws,” Ischak said.

He said investigators were continuing to collect witness testimony and evidence from the scene.

Police have not determined the exact cause of death. According to Ischak, that assessment falls under the authority of medical personnel, while the victim’s family declined an autopsy.

“Regarding the cause of death, we are unable to provide information at this stage because that falls under the authority of the medical team. In addition, the victim's family declined an autopsy examination,” he said.

Residents said the victim’s parents operated businesses close to the construction site. His father runs a workshop, while his mother owns a small shop directly opposite the area where the accident occurred.

The hole has since been filled with soil and is no longer visible. The police investigation remains ongoing.