Morocco prepared on Monday to bury “little Rayan”, the five-year-old boy who died after falling into a 32-metre dry well and remaining trapped there for five days.
An emergency operation carried out in an attempt to rescue him captivated the world.
The child’s fate drew global attention and sparked an outpouring of sympathy online.
The funeral is to be held in Rayan's home village of Ighrane, in the Rif mountains of northern Morocco where the tragedy took place, a local official and a relative told AFP.
“The silence is terrible this morning in the village,” the relative said.
On Saturday night, crowds had cheered in joy when rescue workers reached Rayan after a round-the-clock digging operation, clearing away the final handfuls of dirt.
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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
But joy turned to grief as news spread that the rescue was too late and Rayan was dead.
The news was announced by the royal court of the North African nation, after King Mohammed VI called the parents to convey his condolences.
“We thank his majesty the king, the authorities and all those who have helped us,” Rayan’s father Khalid Aourram said. “Praise God, have mercy on the dead.”
Rayan’s body was taken to a military hospital in Rabat, a cousin said, although no report has been given of any postmortem.
The race to rescue Rayan was followed live around the world, and tributes began to pour in as soon as its tragic conclusion was announced.
Mr Aourram said he had been repairing the well close to the family home when his son fell in on Tuesday.
The shaft, just 45 centimetres across, was too narrow for rescuers to reach Rayan directly, and widening it was considered too risky.
Search crews first used five bulldozers to dig vertically to a depth of more than 31 metres, Morocco’s official MAP news agency reported.
Then on Friday they started excavating a horizontal tunnel to reach the trapped boy. Experts in topographical engineering were called upon for help.
Large crowds came to offer their support, singing and praying to encourage the rescuers as they worked.
