Five-year-old boy died after he fell down a deep well, where he was trapped for four days.
His death was confirmed by the Moroccan royal palace on Saturday night.
In a statement, King Mohammed VI offered condolences for the parents of the boy in a statement that was released by the palace
According to the report, the king was closely monitoring the rescue efforts of local authorities and “instructing officials that all means were necessary to dig the boy from the well and bring him back to his parents.”
The King praised the rescuers and thanked the community for supporting the child’s family.
Rayan Awram was rescued by rescuers. However, Rayan’s efforts to save him had been extended to Saturday. The unstable soil threatened the tedious work of digging him out. The fear grew that Rayan Awram might not be rescued by the rescue team.
As rescue efforts continued into the night, Rayan received support and concern online from all over the globe.
Rescuers used a rope and a camera to monitor the boy’s condition.
Abdelhadi Temrani (head of the rescue committee) stated Saturday morning that it was impossible to ascertain the child’s current condition. We pray that the child is still alive.
Rayan fell into the 32-metre (105-feet), well outside his home in Ighran, Morocco’s northern Chefchaouen Province on Tuesday evening.
The hole was too narrow to allow rescuers to reach him safely.
Three days ago, the search teams used bulldozers and excavators to dig a parallel ditch. On Friday, the search crews began digging a horizontal tunnel in order to reach the boy trapped inside.
Morocco’s MAP news agency stated that topographical engineers were needed for assistance.
Temrani spoke to 2M local television to say that rescuers only had two meters to go to the hole where the boy was trapped.
He said that the diggers had encountered hard rock along their journey and they were careful to avoid any cracks or landslides.
It took five hours to remove the rock. The digging was slow and careful to prevent cracks from being created below the hole. This could have been dangerous for the child’s life as well as rescue workers.
Because of the possibility that the soil around the well might collapse, the work was particularly difficult.
After the boy was pulled from the water, medical staff including specialists in resuscitation were there to help him. A helicopter was also on standby to transport the boy to the nearest hospital.
The rescue operation was watched by hundreds of villagers and other people who were there to support the parents.
This village, home to approximately 500 people, is filled with deep wells that are used for irrigation of the cannabis crop. It is the main source for income for many living in remote, poor and arid regions of Morocco’s Rif Mountains. Protective covers are common for most of the wells.
It is not clear what the exact circumstances were when the boy fell into the well.
Nationwide, Moroccans used social media to express their hope for the boy’s survival. They used the hashtag SaveRayan to bring attention to the rescue efforts.
The well was finally accessible by rescuers on Saturday night, and the body was taken to an ambulance.
