A five-year-old boy who spent four days trapped in a well in Morocco has died.
The boy, identified as Rayan
Awram, was pulled out on Saturday by rescuers after a lengthy operation that caught global attention.Footage from the scene in the north of the country showed workers emerging from a tunnel – dug specifically for the rescue mission- carrying the child.
An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw him wrapped in a yellow blanket at his village of Ighara, but his condition was unknown.
The Moroccan royal palace confirmed on Saturday evening that Rayan did not survive.
King Mohammed VI expressed his condolences to the boy’s parents in a statement released by the palace.
The little boy’s mum, Wassima Kharchich, previously told local media: ‘I pray and beg God that he comes out of that well alive and safe.
‘Please God, ease my pain and his, in that hole of dust.’
Two government officials said Rayan died before rescuers reached him.
The little boy fell into a 105ft (30m) deep well outside his home in the village of Ighran in Morocco’s mountainous northern Chefchaouen province on Tuesday.
He was trapped in a hole too narrow for rescuers to reach safely.
For three days, search crews used bulldozers to dig a parallel ditch. Then on Friday, they started excavating a horizontal tunnel to reach the trapped boy.
During the rescue operation, food and water were lowered down to the little boy.
Cameras were also lowered into the well to check on his well-being.
Although he had been bleeding from his forehead, he appeared to have been conscious.
Earlier, rescuers warned time was running out to save Rayan. Experts in topographical engineering were called upon for help amid fears of a landslide.
His distraught parents were joined by hundreds of villagers and others who gathered to watch the rescue operation.
The village of about 500 people is dotted with deep wells, many used for irrigating the cannabis crop that is the main source of income for many in the poor, remote and arid region of Morocco’s Rif Mountains.
Most of the wells have protective covers.
Moroccans used social media to offer their hopes for the boy’s survival, using the hashtag #SaveRayan which brought worldwide attention to the rescue efforts.
Moroccan TV channel 2M tweeted an official royal statement saying that King Mohammed VI had called Rayan’s parents to ‘express his deepest condolences and sincere sympathy to all members of the family of the deceased in this painful affliction’.
The statement adds: ‘He also expressed his appreciation for the tireless efforts made by the various authorities and public forces, and the collective activities, and for the strong solidarity and broad sympathy received by the family of the deceased, from various Moroccan groups and families, in this painful circumstance.
‘In conclusion, His Majesty the King assured the family of the deceased his sympathy and unwavering care.’
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