He fell down the well, which was just one foot (30 centimeters) wide, on Sunday morning while helping his father harvest vegetables, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Too narrow for adults to climb into, rescuers are digging out the well, which is 40 meters deep.

Aerial shots of the scene show excavators working on soft sandy soil around the dry well. Xinhua said the earth was prone to collapse and measures had been taken to support the shaft.

It's not clear whether the boy is still alive but water and food has been sent down the 40-meter shaft. Oxygen has also been pumped in.

CNN's Serenitie Wang and Nanlin Fang in Beijing contributed to this report