Rescue workers in Morocco continued the operation to save five-year-old child Rayan, who fell into a deep well on Tuesday afternoon in a village near the city of Chefchaouen in the north of the kingdom. His tragic situation has garnered widespread global sympathy.
In the latest developments, Moroccan media reported on Saturday morning that the rescue workers are still conducting horizontal digging towards the spot where Rayan is trapped. A rescue team official stated in front of reporters that the horizontal digging is taking place with extreme caution to avoid any collapses, especially since the soil is very fragile. The removal of a rock lodged in the digging site, carried out on Saturday morning, took about three hours.
When asked about Rayan’s health status, which is being monitored through a camera, the official mentioned that there remains a possibility he is still alive, without providing further details. Estimates suggest that the horizontal digging is about two meters away from completion, which is said to require an additional two to three hours to finish, according to Moroccan media.
Initial rescue attempts involved a team descending into the well, but the narrow diameter of the well hindered their ability to reach the trapped child. Rayan fell to a depth of over 30 meters, while the volunteers could only descend 20 meters. Due to this setback, rescue efforts shifted to an alternative plan.
Under the adopted plan, rescue teams set up a large hole parallel to where Rayan fell, and when they reached the depth he is located at, they began horizontal digging. Concerns about possible soil collapses led rescue teams to use supports, tubes, and wide cylinders to protect those working on the rescue effort, as well as to extricate Rayan without putting him at risk.
The rescue operation is being closely monitored both in Morocco and abroad, with large crowds gathered around the incident site and calls for people to disperse to allow workers to focus on their plan. A helicopter is stationed at the site, equipped with necessary resuscitation equipment, to transport Rayan to the hospital as soon as the rescue team is able to bring him out.
