Rayan, five, was rescued from the 35-metre-deep well after a day-long rescue operation that he had fallen into on Tuesday. After being lifted from the well, he was immediately taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital. Moroccan authorities have since confirmed that Rayan has died.
Supervised by the boy’s family and hundreds of bystanders, who had gathered behind crush barriers, the rescue operation was worked day and night. Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide watched via live streams and the hashtag #SaveRayan became trending on social media.
Also read: Hundreds of thousands follow live streams of rescue Moroccan toddler Rayan
The rescue team dug a tunnel parallel to the well to get to the boy. Excavation work was slow, however, due to a danger of collapse and a boulder blocking the road to Rayan. In the meantime, the boy was given oxygen and water. He still showed signs of life in earlier images that were made.
Rayan had fallen into the well on Tuesday which was being repaired by his father at the time. According to his father, he was playing nearby. It was only after several hours that the boy’s family found out that he was incarcerated, after they heard him calling.