Africa

Rescue operation to save boy down well takes place in Morocco

Rescuers supply oxygen and water for child who has been trapped for more than two days

A rescue operation by Moroccan authorities and firefighters to rescue a five-year-old boy from a well in the region of Chefchaouen near the city of Bab Berred. Photograph: EPA/Jalal Morchidi

Fri Feb 4 2022 - 07:21

A major rescue operation was under way in northern Morocco for a second straight day on Thursday to reach a five-year-old boy trapped in a 32m deep well, officials said.

The boy has been trapped in the well, located in the northern village of Ighran in Morocco’s Chefchaouen province, since Tuesday evening.

According to reports by Morocco’s official MAP news agency, rescue workers have used five bulldozers to dig a hole parallel to the well in an attempt to reach the boy, identified as Rayan.

Local officials said rescue workers have so far reached 19m in an attempt to reach the boy.

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According to MAP reports, the rescuers are monitoring the trapped boy with CCTV cameras. He is being supplied with oxygen and water through pipes that were lowered to him.

Abdel Hadi Temrani, a member of the rescue committee, told local TV news channel 2M that medical staff are on site to attend to the boy once he is lifted from the well. A helicopter is on standby to transport the boy to the nearest hospital.

Khalid Agoram, the boy’s father, told another local broadcaster that he had been looking for his son for a few hours on Tuesday before discovering that he had fallen into the well.

Moroccan government spokesman Mustapha Baytas said on Thursday that the government is closely monitoring the situation in Ighran, studying different ways to help save the child.

Thousands of Moroccans took to social media to express their sympathy with the boy and his family. The hashtag #SaveRayan has been trending for hours in Morocco and Twitter posts have brought global attention to the rescue efforts. – PA

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