A boy fell 100 feet down a well, and the days-long rescue has transfixed Morocco
The 5-year-old boy in the blue shirt is curled up and caked in dirt, taking deep breaths over and over.
For around three days, Rayan has been stuck more than 100 feet underground in a village in northern Morocco, after he fell into a dry well and became stuck between its narrow walls.
The dramatic race to save him has gripped Morocco and neighboring countries, as rescuers work around-the-clock to pull him to safety and broadcasters live-stream their efforts.
Attempts to pull him out have been complicated by the depth and diameter of the location where he is lodged. The well is too narrow to send someone down to rescue him directly, but aggressive digging around the area could cause the walls to collapse, forcing workers to move carefully and deliberately to avoid injuring him further.
Officials dispatched heavy machinery to the scene earlier this week to dig a parallel hole in a bid to pull him to safety.
Workers have managed to deliver him water and oxygen. They also lowered a camera into the well to help monitor his condition. Footage has tugged at the heartstrings of the many people following his ordeal, who are resharing his image on social media, calling for prayers and assistance.
The hashtag #SaveRayan is trending in Morocco, and crowds of people have gathered around the scene, in the village of Ighran in Chefchaouen province. Some children interviewed on local news channels have offered to be lowered down themselves to assist him.
Mustapha Baitas, a government spokesman, said Thursday that Morocco has the resources needed to oversee the boy’s rescue, but “we can ask for help if the need arises when it comes to saving the lives of citizens.”
A helicopter and fully equipped ambulance are on the scene waiting to assist, Moroccan media outlets reported.
Abdelhadi Tamarani, who is part of the team working to rescue Rayan, told Moroccan TV channel 2M on Thursday evening that they had managed to dig to a depth of around 82 feet in the hole parallel to the well. By Friday morning, the same news channel said workers had dug another 13 feet toward him.
“We will do the impossible to bring little Rayan back to his family safe and sound,” Tamarani said.
Accidents involving children and wells have often transfixed audiences around the world. One of the more famous rescues happened in Midland, Tex., in 1987 when 18-month-old “baby Jessica” was rescued from a well after a parallel shaft was dug — much like what is being attempted in Morocco.
The cases have at times ended in tragedy. In 2019, 2-year-old Julen Roselló fell into a similar well in Spain. The complicated rescue efforts included digging multiple tunnels to try to recover the boy. Hundreds of experts contributed to the operation, which included moving more than 17,000 tons of rocks. But they could not reach him in time, and his body was recovered after 13 days.
