The effort to rescue a five-year-old boy who fell down a 104-foot well has gripped Morocco, BBC News reported.
The child, Rayan, was accompanying his father, who was repairing the well when the accident occurred, BBC News reported. A camera lowered into the well showed the boy was alive and conscious, despite the steep fall, only appearing to have suffered minor head injuries.
Morocco‘s Civil Protection Directorate has been leading rescue operations since Tuesday, BBC News reported. Provincial authorities are overseeing the efforts, with dozens of police, auxiliary forces, Royal Gendarmerie and civil protection officers involved, according to BBC News.
Bystanders watch as Moroccan authorities and firefighters work to get five-year-old child Rayan out of a well into which he fell 36 hours earlier, on February 3, 2022 in the region of Chefchaouen near the city of Bab Berred. (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)
The narrowness of the well has proven to be an obstacle to rescue Rayan, and several attempts by local volunteers have already failed, BBC News reported. Authorities reportedly ordered five bulldozers to excavate a parallel well to bypass the original’s narrow structure. (RELATED: 11-Year-Old Saves Classmate From Choking, Then Rescues Woman From Burning House)
Authorities are concerned that modifications to the well could injure the boy, while rescuers are worried about the extent of Rayan’s current injuries, BBC News reported. Oxygen, food and water have been lowered to him, and a medical team is on-site to treat the boy for any injuries sustained in the fall, BBC News reported.
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