Rayan, the 5-year-old boy who was trapped for five days in a 32-meter well in northern Morocco after falling accidentally, could not be rescued alive despite the immense effort made by rescuers in a work against the clock that kept the inhabitants of the African country in suspense, it was officially reported this Saturday
“After the tragic accident that cost the life of the boy Rayan Oram, His Majesty King Mohamed VI called the parents of the deceased, who died after falling into a well”indicated the Moroccan royal cabinet in a press release, according to international agencies.
In Argentina, the deputy chief of mission of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco, Imane Dryef, declared: “We are desperate, Rayan passed away. It is a terrible blow for usHis Majesty the King has called the parents to present his condolences and in all of Morocco we are in a very bad way”.
I’m crying. The little angel Rayan has died.
— Imane Dryef (@ImaneDryef) February 5, 2022
“This is very hard. I want to thank all the Argentine men and women for all the messages of support and for accompanying us at this time and I want to emphasize that the rescue team has done everything possible to rescue Rayan,” the diplomatic official said in statements to the TN channel.
Shortly before 10 p.m. local time (6 p.m. Argentine time) Rayan was extracted from the 32-meter-deep well, where he had fallen on Tuesday, through a tunnel dug by rescuers and was transferred to an ambulance, along with his parents, without it being immediately known if he was alive.
In fact, in the place there was a celebration of the crowd that was concentrated waiting for the rescue of the child and even here, in Argentina, the deputy head of the mission of the Moroccan embassy had stated that in the diplomatic headquarters they were applauding with tears in their eyes because they had managed to get Rayan out of the well.
But minutes later the news of the death was known, which generated sadness in the thousands of Moroccans and citizens of the rest of the world who awaited the outcome of the operation with messages of solidarity and encouragement that flooded social networks.
The tragedy began with the disappearance of the child on Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. local time (10:00 a.m. in Argentina): “The whole family mobilized to look for him until we realized that he had fallen into the well,” said, in tears, the child’s mother.
The rescue operation required a deployment of excavators and precision work to reach the corner where the child had fallen and, in the final phase, the operations were carried out manually, to avoid vibrations that could cause a collapse, according to the authorities of the town of Ighran.
In addition, a helicopter with medical supplies remained in place for a possible transfer, but according to the AFP agency, when the rescuers managed to reach Rayan, he was already dead.
On the morning of this Saturday, one of the leaders of the rescue team, Abdelhadi Tamrani, stated that in the images obtained by a probe camera, Rayan appeared “lying on his back” in the bend of that narrow well, without being able to say whether he was alive or not.
Rescuers sent him oxygen and water through tubes and bottles, without any certainty that the boy had used them.
Rescuers sent him oxygen and water through tubes and bottles, without any certainty that the boy had used them.
At dawn, a large rock hindered the tunnel construction work, until it was managed after three hours of effort, with the help of small electrical equipment.
Thousands of people came to show their solidarity and camped there despite the bitter cold. of this mountainous zone of the Rif, to about 700 meters of altitude.
On social networks there were also thousands of messages of support and encouragement for first responders and families from all over the world.
“Hold on little Rayan, please hold on,” implored one netizen on Twitter. After learning of the child’s death, sadness also spread through the networks.
“You have fought like a champion. On the other side there were also superheroes fighting for the end to be different, but it could not be. Rest little warrior,” wrote a user.
And another message highlighted: “Rest in peace, little angel, I am very sorry that you died like this. But the whole country cries for you. You have been very strong.”
My heart goes out to Morocco. You have fought like a champion. On the other side there were also superheroes fighting for the ending to be different, but it couldn’t be. RIP little warrior ♥️#rayan #Morocco pic.twitter.com/6Sfc6NtNGb
– Ricardo Diez (@RicardoDiez14) February 5, 2022
