Rayan, the Moroccan Boy Trapped in Well Shaft for Days, Is Found Dead by Rescuers
Expressions of condolence and sadness directed toward the people of Morocco began pouring in on Sunday after news that the 5-year-old Moroccan boy who fell into a deep well on Tuesday and was dug out by rescuers on Saturday had been found 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. The rescue efforts were livestreamed with more than 100,000 watching at some points during the effort, The New York Times reported. Thousands of people journeyed to the site of the rescue as well. The crowd cheered when Rayam was pulled out of the well bundled in warming blankets. But those cheers turned to tears as the onlookers realized that the boy was dead, as they saw Rayam’s parents walk slowly to the ambulance, climb in and drive away. Morocco’s royal cabinet announced late on Saturday night that the boy had been found dead. Moroccans had turned to social media to express support for Rayan’s family and to the rescuers, using the hashtag #SaveRayan.