Rayan: Moroccan rescuers inch nearer to boy stuck in well for days
Rescuers who are desperately trying to reach a five-year-old boy who fell into a deep well in Morocco are entering the final stages of their operation.
They worked through the night to reach the boy, named by local media as Rayan, who plunged 32m (104ft) through the well’s narrow opening four days ago.
The complex operation has gripped the North African country for days, and thousands have gathered at the scene.
Fears of a landslide have made the rescue operation more dangerous.
That risk combined with the mixture of rocky and sandy soils has meant rescuers deem opening the well’s narrow shaft to be too dangerous.
Instead, bulldozers have been used to cut a huge trench next to the well and authorities say they are “almost there”.
Once the trench reaches the same depth as the well, rescuers can start digging horizontally to reach the boy, a witness told Reuters news agency.
“We’re almost there,” said one of the operation’s leaders, Abdesalam Makoudi, on Friday afternoon. “We’ve been working non-stop for three days and tiredness is kicking in, but the whole rescue team is hanging on.”
Rescue operations led by Morocco’s Civil Protection Directorate have been ongoing since Tuesday evening.
The roads around the northern town of Tamorot are lined with cars and buses, while thousands have cheered rescuers at the site.