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Rayan's father said that he was touched by the outpouring of support from fellow Moroccans over his son's ordeal. AP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/7FCVONBQ5UPA5ACJN3DIAPVWOA.jpg?smart=true&auth=13323eba7247be4f515f719175f754120debd58fcc11ff1a7306ccbd2edb7893&width=400&height=225)
The parents of Rayan Aourram walk away after rescue workers retrieved his body from a deep well and placed it in an ambulance, in the village of Ighran in Morocco's Chefchaouen province. EPA
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An ambulance drives away from the well where rescuers retrieved the body. The 5-year-old Moroccan boy who was trapped in a well for four days has died, authorities confirmed. EPA
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The rescue effort began after Rayan fell 32 metres down a dry well on Tuesday. AFP
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Rescue workers carry the body and place it in the ambulance. EPA
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/EZ7S3YPAFQJ3MQWVGXZLFOSZTM.jpg?smart=true&auth=889b903dbee007f9417f40939ba20e2df22478d0ad6c5e540effe41c82dee48e&width=400&height=225)
Rayan's body was wrapped in a yellow blanket after it was taken out through a tunnel dug specifically for the rescue. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/B6AFIFW32ANQBTRCYGQTKWZLHQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=e8d8d8980938bb045af41de386b89f8d0e1a978de02a5d3b4df031d3705fd2bc&width=400&height=225)
A member of the Moroccan emergency services in action during the rescue operation. AFP
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Search crews first used five bulldozers to dig vertically to a depth of more than 31 metres. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/DXLRNZG5BY46KWG5OD2RT462IQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=a99419d1e080cdbb33737f80edffeb9785e2e9840642d22bb05ef055a63f1a92&width=400&height=225)
On Friday, rescuers started excavating a horizontal tunnel to reach Rayan. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/KSCSULE5RDOXFFALV6W2HUW7D4.jpg?smart=true&auth=ab677d652dfcdc215fc8328588f66c208edccfe62fddac7dc8b455f88b088048&width=400&height=225)
Experts in topographical engineering were called upon for help. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/4UZKMJNQC35LQNO253HVFPAVQE.jpg?smart=true&auth=c76b3519e1bc7bf194ccb0557a6f50d3839a3d0baa1219599b5539995c847f56&width=400&height=225)
A Moroccan emergency services climber surveys the site. AFP
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People wait for word on the rescue. AFP
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Rescuers had earlier been able to feed Rayan food and oxygen through an opening in the well, and they placed a camera on him to watch his progress. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/UL2U4Z3Q4FA53O6G4HGM5UQ5MI.jpg?smart=true&auth=7735a20beb58a23e99c7cb8dff13367b45fd291bebd9d157e10fa783376ff072&width=400&height=225)
Hundreds of technical experts, workers, journalists, volunteers and well-wishers watched the rescue mission at the site and on live streams. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/V6U3ITCM2NAA4F7WHEFO44IST4.jpg?smart=true&auth=a5732ff1920ad0d5b1112b5ac67aa0e2217af7a151b79ad0375e0b32d6fa62ef&width=400&height=225)
Members of the civil defence use diggers and other equipment at the site. AFP
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Crowds gather near the well as they anxiously wait for news on the fate of the child. AFP
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As the well became deeper, it also narrowed to a diameter of a little more than 30 centimetres, rescue workers said. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/PETBRCFYIFUYU5U66RQLA3AJ7Q.jpg?smart=true&auth=0e1035705e93a1ae6f8a584c4b5b9f2edbb7806cfce9fbfa627b4bded9257be7&width=400&height=225)
A woman waits for news at the site. AFP
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The rescue operation captured attention in Morocco and around the world. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/H4N6ZDAAJRFZTPJXQLKDSUHOHY.jpg?smart=true&auth=c50a48bca3be30332c6a9dd9d8a0c8b085dccb8f62663bb03b822956e3e678c6&width=400&height=225)
Rescuers work against the clock to reach Rayan. AFP
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Rescuers toiled through the night as concerns about Rayan's safety grow. AFP
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Rescuers during the nerve-racking final stages of a marathon effort to rescue Rayan. AFP
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Bystanders watch as the rescue attempt continues. AFP
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The brave work of rescue workers goes on. AFP
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Concerns about ground stability halted the rescue attempt at times. AP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/3EQAOFLL4M5GXTZPZCKUVMVL4I.jpg?smart=true&auth=ea1d4fe3d5380ef7fd568379630dd1e64828a2923afc02da27e2fe3f39af594a&width=400&height=225)
Rayan's father said that he was touched by the outpouring of support from fellow Moroccans over his son's ordeal. AP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/7FCVONBQ5UPA5ACJN3DIAPVWOA.jpg?smart=true&auth=13323eba7247be4f515f719175f754120debd58fcc11ff1a7306ccbd2edb7893&width=400&height=225)
The parents of Rayan Aourram walk away after rescue workers retrieved his body from a deep well and placed it in an ambulance, in the village of Ighran in Morocco's Chefchaouen province. EPA
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/PXIO7ARUCA23PBJPFLORPOCB2Y.jpg?smart=true&auth=cceac6200ffdc42c90e40415240b694e668cd2dab4c0d00a5b54cdc3138b0815&width=400&height=225)
An ambulance drives away from the well where rescuers retrieved the body. The 5-year-old Moroccan boy who was trapped in a well for four days has died, authorities confirmed. EPA
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/ASG73J2EI5AZMUX7G2XCRMPQ4U.jpg?smart=true&auth=b71abbdf46d374f2dd9e76ac6f20d0d8177fd5cff42412a5e06e90b4d624b240&width=400&height=225)
The rescue effort began after Rayan fell 32 metres down a dry well on Tuesday. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/KJPPAZZN6TQ74WNLDKBZ4OXVOE.jpg?smart=true&auth=728a74481b4f44afe8a0f72340c8c086c38283364c93dedbe8486e573b7445b7&width=400&height=225)
Rescue workers carry the body and place it in the ambulance. EPA
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/EZ7S3YPAFQJ3MQWVGXZLFOSZTM.jpg?smart=true&auth=889b903dbee007f9417f40939ba20e2df22478d0ad6c5e540effe41c82dee48e&width=400&height=225)
Rayan's body was wrapped in a yellow blanket after it was taken out through a tunnel dug specifically for the rescue. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/B6AFIFW32ANQBTRCYGQTKWZLHQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=e8d8d8980938bb045af41de386b89f8d0e1a978de02a5d3b4df031d3705fd2bc&width=400&height=225)
A member of the Moroccan emergency services in action during the rescue operation. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/XMYW7EM4OLBXTVP2HWPG2FXPEA.jpg?smart=true&auth=795679cd8654f618985c88d3b03964122307ff0f116c7f4ed3acad7c1106f6a2&width=400&height=225)
Search crews first used five bulldozers to dig vertically to a depth of more than 31 metres. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/DXLRNZG5BY46KWG5OD2RT462IQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=a99419d1e080cdbb33737f80edffeb9785e2e9840642d22bb05ef055a63f1a92&width=400&height=225)
On Friday, rescuers started excavating a horizontal tunnel to reach Rayan. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/KSCSULE5RDOXFFALV6W2HUW7D4.jpg?smart=true&auth=ab677d652dfcdc215fc8328588f66c208edccfe62fddac7dc8b455f88b088048&width=400&height=225)
Experts in topographical engineering were called upon for help. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/4UZKMJNQC35LQNO253HVFPAVQE.jpg?smart=true&auth=c76b3519e1bc7bf194ccb0557a6f50d3839a3d0baa1219599b5539995c847f56&width=400&height=225)
A Moroccan emergency services climber surveys the site. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/ZGO2WRRVRZD5B22WPMIJ7E2CGU.jpg?smart=true&auth=32a165c5b5916480aef629f26a0715d88890084f213c71e1a28bca63d5c144b5&width=400&height=225)
People wait for word on the rescue. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/43FYINLNMDJ3SKAC4ZLLPH4LEQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=12d3724e098075f5094f12a6f4f6654f91f90700ad53423ecee8e83b8daae48b&width=400&height=225)
Rescuers had earlier been able to feed Rayan food and oxygen through an opening in the well, and they placed a camera on him to watch his progress. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/UL2U4Z3Q4FA53O6G4HGM5UQ5MI.jpg?smart=true&auth=7735a20beb58a23e99c7cb8dff13367b45fd291bebd9d157e10fa783376ff072&width=400&height=225)
Hundreds of technical experts, workers, journalists, volunteers and well-wishers watched the rescue mission at the site and on live streams. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/V6U3ITCM2NAA4F7WHEFO44IST4.jpg?smart=true&auth=a5732ff1920ad0d5b1112b5ac67aa0e2217af7a151b79ad0375e0b32d6fa62ef&width=400&height=225)
Members of the civil defence use diggers and other equipment at the site. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/2Q27IVCX5TCFA57RYQYTKEGJBY.jpg?smart=true&auth=a7026cbf1598b047e0e88beafb05b46f569e3534be4ab4b06e7f94faf977d921&width=400&height=225)
Crowds gather near the well as they anxiously wait for news on the fate of the child. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/WP53WGQ4OQARDAITQY33M3LVQQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=c9bf67457a8d1ddd2d0236045178e399c933b2231bc8a8c0499897a644368ac5&width=400&height=225)
As the well became deeper, it also narrowed to a diameter of a little more than 30 centimetres, rescue workers said. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/PETBRCFYIFUYU5U66RQLA3AJ7Q.jpg?smart=true&auth=0e1035705e93a1ae6f8a584c4b5b9f2edbb7806cfce9fbfa627b4bded9257be7&width=400&height=225)
A woman waits for news at the site. AFP
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The rescue operation captured attention in Morocco and around the world. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/H4N6ZDAAJRFZTPJXQLKDSUHOHY.jpg?smart=true&auth=c50a48bca3be30332c6a9dd9d8a0c8b085dccb8f62663bb03b822956e3e678c6&width=400&height=225)
Rescuers work against the clock to reach Rayan. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/JWYHHQ52PS7PLZXPWPVWJP7IHA.jpg?smart=true&auth=c28fac7603c4c84155617ddb2dc0a9cc16d88aa37af2c9d0a89195fdbca72041&width=400&height=225)
Rescuers toiled through the night as concerns about Rayan's safety grow. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/ZDTVRFXJSDVJGOQJS2WBZMTDME.jpg?smart=true&auth=866332bdd5179ca0a14aaa10576c163b5cb22b6d39ec0606df4c84d76cc3304d&width=400&height=225)
Rescuers during the nerve-racking final stages of a marathon effort to rescue Rayan. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/D5BQFZLGGRWUGDIJEOYRA76MEU.jpg?smart=true&auth=bc779561a359bb27642a843f800ac867c395aa3d0913a3dd0088246c5f1481ef&width=400&height=225)
Bystanders watch as the rescue attempt continues. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/N2IX6JOAL5RKK5O72GKLMWJA7U.jpg?smart=true&auth=4d0c592ae6a491a35a9371755191f7edae1d64eaf4cee3ac9d382b6f494322cf&width=400&height=225)
The brave work of rescue workers goes on. AFP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/J5PNVMTSPDGZEILB2R34JNOBVI.jpg?smart=true&auth=be7f51a3956d9e1e1c6ae436733672f0baec47d6a4947f3df3df58f7ce5fbec2&width=400&height=225)
Concerns about ground stability halted the rescue attempt at times. AP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/3EQAOFLL4M5GXTZPZCKUVMVL4I.jpg?smart=true&auth=ea1d4fe3d5380ef7fd568379630dd1e64828a2923afc02da27e2fe3f39af594a&width=400&height=225)
Rayan's father said that he was touched by the outpouring of support from fellow Moroccans over his son's ordeal. AP
Rayan pronounced dead after painstaking rescue mission
Moroccan authorities announce child’s death shortly after rescue workers extracted his body from well
Nada AlTaher
04 February, 2022
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