Intense relief operation in Morocco to rescue five-year-old Rayan

An intense relief operation is underway in Morocco as rescuers in Morocco are racing against the clock to save a young boy trapped in a deep well for almost three days, reported foreign media. On Friday (Feb. 4), the relief operations intensified for five-year-old Rayan, who fell down a 32-metre deep well on Tuesday (Feb. 1). Rescuers in Morocco are clawing out the dirt under floodlights to create a hole next to the narrow shaft. Government spokesman Mustapha Baitas promised on Thursday that the child will be rescued soon, foreign media reported. The operation has gripped the kingdom with hundreds of thousands anxiously glued to live broadcasts. Morocco’s MAP news agency reported that the drilling in the village near Bab Berred in Morocco’s rural northern province of Chefchaouen has hit 27 metres (88 feet), with “the hope of reaching 32 metres (105 feet) in the next few hours”. The rescuers will then dig three metres horizontally “between the hole and the well to recover the child”, it said. A medical team was dispatched to the scene to carry out initial checks and potential resuscitation once the boy is rescued. Rescuers were able to send the child oxygen and water via pipes, and a police helicopter is on standby to evacuate him to a nearby hospital. The relief operation has sparked an outpouring of sympathy online, with the Arabic hashtag #SaveRayan going viral across North Africa, including in neighbouring Algeria.