Excavators are racing against time to save a five-year-old who survived a fall from a 100-foot well in Morocco, but who has now been underground for more than 40 hours.
Moroccans still waited anxiously on Thursday evening after officials and firefighters launched a dramatic operation to save the boy from the deep hole.
Officials said the mission was nearing its end, with a local news website reporting on Thursday afternoon that only 30 feet (9 m) of land was left for excavation to reach it.
Local media said a five-year-old boy named Ryan fell into a 100-foot (32-metre) deep well in his home village near Bab Bered in the rural northern province of Chefchaouen on Tuesday evening.
Pictures from today’s scene show several diggers descending deeper into the ground from multiple directions to reach the boy, as small crowds gather at the edge of the ever-increasing pit.
Meanwhile, footage showed rescue teams sending cameras down the well to monitor the boy’s condition.
Pictured: Moroccan officials and firefighters work to pull five-year-old child Ryan out of a well he fell 40 hours earlier, in the area of Chefchaouen near the city of Bab Bered, February 3, 2022.
Pictured: A well hole is seen in the foreground where the boy is said to have fallen 100 feet, while diggers in the background work from multiple angles in an attempt to save him.
Residents watch in concern as civil defense and local officials dig into a hillside as they attempt to rescue a 5-year-old boy who fell into a hole near the town of Bab Bered near Chefchaouen, Morocco, Thursday, February 3, 2022
Image: A screen-captured video showing footage of a camera as it was lowered into the well where the boy fell 100 feet. The shaft was too narrow for the rescuers to go down themselves, so they were forced to dig along the side of the well in an attempt to reach the boy.
Image: Video shows rescuers sending cables into the well in an attempt to reach the boy
Rescuers used five bulldozers to dig a hole parallel to the well in an attempt to reach the boy, Morocco’s official MAP news agency reported.
Local officials said rescuers had so far reached 62 feet (19 meters) trying to reach the boy.
Government rescue Mustafa Baitas said on Thursday, ‘The child’s rescue is drawing closer.’ ‘Our hearts are with the family, and we are praying that he is back with them as soon as possible.’
The shaft was too narrow for rescuers to reach the bottom, so heavy excavators were sent to dig a hole along it.
On Thursday afternoon news website Le360 said “only nine meters” (30 feet) were left to be dug “which would allow rescuers to reach the boy”.
The MAP news agency said rescuers were able to send him oxygen and water through pipes.
Moroccans waited anxiously on Thursday evening after officials and firefighters launched a dramatic operation to rescue the boy from the deep well. Officials said tonight that the mission was nearing its end
Pictured: Moroccan officials and firefighters work to pull five-year-old child Ryan out of a well he had fallen into nearly 40 hours earlier, February 3, 2022.
Pictures and videos from the scene today show several diggers going deep into the earth from multiple directions to reach the boy, as small crowds gathered at the edge of an ever-increasing pit.
The shaft from which the boy fell on Tuesday was too narrow for rescuers to reach the bottom, so heavy excavators were sent to dig a pit with him. It’s been more than 40 hours since the boy fell
Ryan’s father told Le360 that he was repairing the well when the boy fell into it.
Chief rescuer Abdelhabi Temrani told Al Oula television that the diameter of the well was less than 45 centimeters.
Baitas said the nature of the soil means it is very dangerous to try to widen the hole, which means that large excavations around it are the only solution.
The drama has sparked a flurry of sympathy online, with the Arabic hashtag #SaveRayan going viral in the North African region, including neighboring Algeria.
One user wrote on Twitter, ‘The heart of every Moroccan is with this angel.
On Thursday afternoon news website Le360 said “only nine meters” (30 feet) of excavation remained “to allow rescuers to reach the boy”.
Residents watch in concern as civil defense and local officials dig into a hillside as they attempt to rescue a 5-year-old boy who fell into a hole near the town of Bab Bered near Chefchaouen, Morocco, Thursday, February 3, 2022
Moroccan authorities and firefighters carry out a rescue operation to retrieve five-year-old Ryan from a well he fell two days ago in the area of Chefchaouen, near the city of Bab Bered, Morocco, 03 February 2022
Baitas said the boy’s fate has also attracted crowds to the operation site, adding to the pressure on rescue workers working in “difficult conditions”.
“We call on citizens to let the rescuers do their job and save this child,” he said.
National news channel 2M said that the authorities have also prepared a helicopter to take the child to the hospital after evacuation.