Moroccan rescuers get close to boy trapped in well
Rescuers were delicately removing rocks on Saturday (February 5) as they dug towards a young boy who has been trapped for five days in a well in northern Morocco, a dangerous operation constantly imperilled by the threat of landslides.
Workers with mechanical diggers have been trying round the clock to rescue the 5-year-old child, identified just as Rayan, after he fell into a 32-meter (100-foot) deep well in the hills near Chefchaouen on Tuesday (February 1).
"People who love us are sparing no effort to save my child," said Rayan's father in a tired, barely audible voice, as he stood watching rescue efforts on Friday night wearing a traditional hooded woolen robe against the cold.
Pictures on Moroccan media have shown Rayan huddled at the bottom of the well, which narrows as it descends from 45 cm (18 inches) wide at the top, preventing rescuers from descending.
Hundreds of villagers stood waiting nearby for news as the rescue operation continued, with workers in helmets and high-visibility vests carrying stretchers, ropes, tackle and other equipment down into a pit they have dug parallel to the well.
