Shaky soil threatens rescue of Moroccan boy, 5, trapped in well
- The boy, identified as Rayan, fell into the well located outside his home in the village of Ighran in Morocco’s northern Chefchaouen province on Tuesday evening
- ‘Digging has stopped momentarily out of concern that the ground surrounding the well could collapse,’ said a rescue committee member
Rescuers inched closer Friday to reaching a five-year-old boy trapped for three days in a well in Morocco, in an operation hampered by concerns about ground stability that has captivated the North African country.
The boy, identified as Rayan, fell into a 32-metre (105-ft) deep well located outside his home in the village of Ighran in Morocco’s northern Chefchaouen province on Tuesday evening.
Search crews first used five bulldozers over days to dig vertically to a depth of more than 31 metres, according to Morocco’s official MAP news agency. Then on Friday, they started excavating a horizontal tunnel to reach the trapped boy, MAP said, adding that experts in topographical engineering were called upon for help.
Work was temporarily halted, but resumed later.
“Digging has stopped momentarily out of concern that the ground surrounding the well could collapse,” rescue committee member Abdelhadi Temrani told local television 2M.
Rescuers used a rope to provide oxygen and water to the boy, but were unable to reach him via the hole where he is trapped due to its narrow diameter.
“I pray and beg God that he comes out of that well alive and safe,” his mother Wassima Kharchich told 2M. “Please God, ease my pain and his, in that hole of dust.”
