Rayan, Moroccan Boy Trapped in Well Shaft for Days, Is Rescued, Dies

A 5-year-old Moroccan boy who fell into a deep well on Tuesday was dug out on Saturday, but rescuers found that he was dead. King Mohammed VI of Morocco called the parents of Rayan Oram to offer condolences. Rayam, who slipped into the well in Morocco’s mountainous northern Chefchaouen province while playing in the area, was alive as late as Friday; rescuers had lowered oxygen, water, and food, as well as a camera to monitor his condition, into the narrow and long tunnel some 100 feet underground.

Search and rescue crews dug a parallel hole alongside the well to effect the rescue since the well was too narrow to allow rescuers to reach Rayam. They then dug a horizontal tunnel to reach the boy, hampered at times by rain and hard rock. Moroccans turned to social media to express support for Rayan’s family and to the rescuers, using the hashtag #SaveRayan. The rescue efforts were livestreamed with more than 100,000 watching at some points during the effort, The New York Times reported.