Rayan, a five-year-old child, fell into a 32-metre dry well, near Chefchaouen in the north of Morocco, on Tuesday afternoon. The whole kingdom has since been following the rescue work as rescuers try to dig access and a gallery around the hole.
Rayan's father told the news site Le360 about the accident: “In a moment of inattention, the boy fell into the well I was repairing. I couldn't sleep all night”.
The people of Morocco are following the perilous rescue operation live on Moroccan television, with hourly updates. The little boy seems to be stuck in a 32-metre hole with a diameter of 45 centimeters.
The rescuers were up against a rocky terrain only five meters from the rescue last night (3 February). A camera sent into the well confirmed that the boy is still alive, albeit in a very frail state.
The emergency services initially thought of widening the hole, but this option was quickly abandoned due to the nature of the terrain, which could have led to falling rocks.
The only viable solution now seems to be to dig around the well to save the child, whose survival has generated a wave of sympathy and solidarity on social networks, even in neighbouring and historically rival Algeria.
Hundreds of thousands of internet users around the world are tuned in to live broadcasts from several Moroccan media outlets.
