The rescue operation for child Rayan has reached a critical and delicate phase, with horizontal digging currently being carried out manually. The success of this stage will signify the end of the child's ordeal and the anticipation of millions of people inside and outside Morocco. Sources on the scene have confirmed that this stage is considered one of the most complex and dangerous in the operation, both for Rayan’s life and for the rescue team.
During this sensitive operation, a team of engineers and surveyors is being assisted by civil protection personnel. The latest updates indicate that the team is using concrete cylinders to reach the child while exercising caution to avoid any soil collapse. The rescuers are only a few meters away from retrieving Rayan, having entered the horizontal cavity and identified the starting point for the horizontal drilling expected to lead to the location where Rayan is trapped, considering the state of the water hole, which is an old well dug several years ago.
Five-year-old Rayan had fallen into a narrow well at his home in a village not far from the city of Chefchaouen in northern Morocco—approximately 500 km from the capital, Rabat—and has been stuck for three days, without confirmation on whether he has suffered fractures or serious injuries from the fall, in a story that has held the breath of millions worldwide.
Continuous efforts are being made, and sources have confirmed that alongside the manual digging, security personnel have formed a security cordon around the site to prevent crowds estimated in the thousands from approaching. The area has started to experience light rain, raising concerns among the rescue teams about the potential for these rains to slow down the manual digging operation, which requires high concentration and precision.
Professor Masrour Moussa, a researcher at the Faculty of Science, Biology Department, Ibn Zohr University in Agadir, stated that manual digging is a highly precise operation that requires extra caution, by supporting the progress in excavations with strong reinforcements, especially since the area, as shown in media images and videos, consists of a layer of loose soil. He pointed out in a statement to Sky News Arabia that natural factors always play a significant role in emergency operations, with weather being an important element for saving lives. He emphasized that the weather conditions are favorable in Rayan's case and should be utilized as quickly as possible to reach him, stressing that the situation could become more complicated in case of rainfall.
The speaker praised the efforts made by the rescue teams, which are nearing the end of the operation after having completed most of their work, but the hardest part lies ahead, as the remaining task requires a lot of precision and caution, especially since focus is now directed towards horizontal digging towards the location of young Rayan, with expectations to reach the target by tonight.
