Heart-breaking news.
King Mohammed of Morocco has shared his condolences following the death of a five-year-old boy who became trapped after falling down a well.
The child, who has been named as Rayan, fell to the bottom of the 100ft well in a northern Moroccan town last week. His father had been repairing the well at the time, and he said his son fell in the moment he “took his eyes off of him”. The past few days saw the five-day rescue mission garner global attention.
Over the past few days, food, water and oxygen was delivered to Rayan, but it is unclear if he was able to access them. A camera was put down the well on Thursday evening which showed that he was conscious, but there had been no updates on his condition since.
The rescue mission saw bulldozers dig a large hole beside the well where Rayan was trapped. Rescuers then went into the hole and dug horizontally to reach Rayan.
As BBC News reports, the boy was brought out of the well yesterday evening, though it was not immediately clear to onlookers what his condition was. His death was announced shortly after.
The Moroccan Royal Family described the case as a tragic accident and a statement from the palace read: “His Majesty King Mohammed VI called the parents of the boy who died after falling down the well.”
The French President Emmanuel Macron also paid tribute to Rayan. He took to Facebook to write: “Tonight, I want to tell the family of little Rayan and the Moroccan people that we share their pain.”
AC Milan midfielder Ismael Bennacer also tweeted in support of Rayan’s family.
The footballer wrote: “Rayan’s courage will stay in our memories and continue to inspire us.”
