A Moroccan boy who fell down a well and got trapped for five days was found dead on Saturday, Feb. 5, ending a massive rescue operation for the child on a low note for both the family and the rescuers.
Rayan Oram, a five-year-old child from Morocco, fell down a 105-foot well and was trapped in the bottom of the area for days as a whole rescue team attempted to dig their way to him when efforts to expand the well’s opening proved fruitless, al-Jazeera reported.
The operation dug a parallel ditch to the well in order to reach Rayan, and then they began tunneling towards where he was, with a worry that landslides could potentially happen if the digging went too fast, according to the New York Daily News.
They were able to provide oxygen and food to Rayan, as well as a camera to monitor his progress and ensure that he was OK, but efforts to reach him appeared to be too late as they confirmed on Saturday night that Rayan had died before they reached him.
“Our sincere condolences and sympathy to the family of the child Rayan and to the brotherly Moroccan nation and to all humanity that grieved for his loss,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid from the United Arab Emirates said.
“Following the tragic accident which cost the life of the child Rayan Oram, His Majesty King Mohammed VI called the parents of the boy who died after falling down the well,” a statement from the King of Morocco said.
The hashtag #SaveRayan had gone viral online in the days after they found his body, with many people online joining in the grief of the village and of Rayan’s family through tributes and online tweets that have proliferated in the English and Arab sides of Twitter.
“He unified the humanity and then left. In moments of joy and sadness, he showed us that regardless of our creed or ethnicity, we will stand together. RIP #Rayan,” tweeted Amjad Taha of the British Middle East Center for Studies and Research.
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