Rayan: Hundreds attend funeral for little boy in Morocco

Boy's story captivated the world during painstaking five-day operation to free him from a well

Mourners carry the coffin of Rayan Aourram, the Moroccan boy who died after being trapped inside a well, during his funeral near Chefchaouen in northern Morocco on February 7. EPA

Grieving villagers waited for hours to attend the funeral prayers and burial rituals. EPA

Those wishing to pay their final respects to Rayan had to climb the hilly, unpaved road leading to the cemetery in Ighran. EPA

Moroccans pray over the grave of Rayan. AFP

The father of Rayan receives condolences during the funeral. AFP

Moroccans burry the five-year-old after the funeral prayer. AFP

Hundreds of Moroccans attended the funeral prayer. AFP

People pray during the funeral. AP Photo

Mourners carry the body of Rayan. AFP

Rayan could not be rescued despite a vast operation that lasted five days. Reuters

Some of the mourners reportedly walked for up to eight kilometres to reach the cemetery. Reuters

Hundreds of mourners gathered on Monday for the funeral of Rayan Aourram, the Moroccan boy who became trapped in a well and died despite an intense rescue operation that lasted for five days.

Those wishing to pay their final respects to Rayan climbed the hilly, unpaved road leading to the cemetery in Ighran, near Chefchaouen in northern Morocco, where they waited for hours for the funeral.

State media footage showed dozens of mourners performing the Muslim ritual prayers as Rayan was laid to rest. His coffin was draped in green cloth decorated with verses from the Quran.

“I am over 50 years old and have never seen as many people in a funeral. Rayan is the son of us all,” one villager told Reuters.

“Rayan's death has renewed faith in humanity as people in different languages and from different countries express solidarity,” another villager said.

Local media reported that some of those in attendance had walked up to eight kilometres to reach the cemetery, after the authorities were forced to prevent cars from entering the area due to limited space.

Two large tents were erected in front of the grieving family's house where mourners could stop to offer their condolences.

The grieving parents were seen disembarking from a military ambulance, which carried the coffin to the burial ground.

Rayan fell down a narrow, 32-metre dry well last Tuesday, leading to a complex earth-moving operation to try to reach him without causing a landslide.

Rescuers had worked ceaselessly at constant risk of triggering a landslide in their ultimately fruitless efforts to pull the child out alive.

“I am very sad. We spared no effort to reach the boy alive. We excavated around the clock in five days what could have taken weeks,” a volunteer digger, Ali Sahraoui, told reporters at the funeral.

The prolonged rescue effort transfixed the country and many abroad.

The well, which was less than half a metre wide, was too narrow for Rayan to be reached directly, and widening the shaft was deemed too risky.

Rayan, the 5-year-old boy who died after falling into a well in Morocco. Photo: Social media

The joy of freeing Rayan from the well on Saturday evening and the hopes that he would be extracted alive quickly turned to sorrow as he was pronounced dead, sparking an outpouring of grief in Morocco and on social media.

On Saturday, condolences to the parents came from Morocco's King Mohammed VI, Pope Francis, French President Emmanuel Macron and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai.

Egyptian and Senegalese football players held a minute of silence on Sunday before the kickoff of the African Cup of Nations final.

On Twitter, users left messages of condolences for the boy’s parents, using the hashtag #SaveRayan. They said his death has unified the world in hope and in grief and showed the best of humanity.

Villagers' generosity

Rayan’s village, in Morocco's rural Rif Mountains, has been in the spotlight over the course of the incident and his death has brought renewed attention to the problem of unlicensed uncovered wells in the region.

The Rif Mountains in northern Morocco extend from Tangier to the Moulouya River valley near the border with Algeria. What little infrastructure there is in the area is in poor condition.

Hundreds of people travelled to Rayan's village to pay their respects. Reuters

The Arabic daily newspaper Assabah criticised the digging of unauthorised wells, saying many were used to irrigate cannabis widely grown in Morocco's north.

Locals mainly depend on mules and donkeys to transport basic supplies and water across long distances.

Residents of Ighran hosted journalists who had come to the area to cover rescue efforts and cooked food for rescue workers, who continued their digging operations around the clock despite freezing conditions.

“I was deeply moved by the residents’ generosity though they live in poverty,” Moroccan journalist Hamza Al Wahhabi told Hespress.

“They provided us with a supply of electricity to charge our phones and laptops. We are really grateful.”

Agencies contributed to this report

Rescue effort for Rayan in Morocco — in pictures

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

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

The rescue effort began after Rayan fell 32 metres down a dry well on Tuesday. AFP

Rescue workers carry the body and place it in the ambulance. EPA

Rayan's body was wrapped in a yellow blanket after it was taken out through a tunnel dug specifically for the rescue. AFP

A member of the Moroccan emergency services in action during the rescue operation. AFP

Search crews first used five bulldozers to dig vertically to a depth of more than 31 metres. AFP

On Friday, rescuers started excavating a horizontal tunnel to reach Rayan. AFP

Experts in topographical engineering were called upon for help. AFP

A Moroccan emergency services climber surveys the site. AFP

People wait for word on the rescue. AFP

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

Hundreds of technical experts, workers, journalists, volunteers and well-wishers watched the rescue mission at the site and on live streams. AFP

Members of the civil defence use diggers and other equipment at the site. AFP

Crowds gather near the well as they anxiously wait for news on the fate of the child. AFP

As the well became deeper, it also narrowed to a diameter of a little more than 30 centimetres, rescue workers said. AFP

A woman waits for news at the site. AFP

The rescue operation captured attention in Morocco and around the world. AFP

Rescuers work against the clock to reach Rayan. AFP

Rescuers toiled through the night as concerns about Rayan's safety grow. AFP

Rescuers during the nerve-racking final stages of a marathon effort to rescue Rayan. AFP

Bystanders watch as the rescue attempt continues. AFP

The brave work of rescue workers goes on. AFP

Concerns about ground stability halted the rescue attempt at times. AP

Rayan's father said that he was touched by the outpouring of support from fellow Moroccans over his son's ordeal. AP