(CMR) A five-year-old Moroccan boy who had been trapped in a well since Tuesday has died. The boy, identified only as Rayan, was retrieved by rescue teams from the well on Saturday but did not survive.
Rayan fell more than 100 feet down the well while playing near his home in the tiny village of Ighrane, about 60 miles from the city of Chefchaouen. Rayan was discovered after he was heard crying, his mother said in an interview with state-owned Al-Aoula TV.
According to a statement from the Royal Palace, King Mohammed VI of Morocco offered condolences to Rayan's family in a phone call.
“Following the tragic accident that claimed the life of the child Rayan Oram, His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God protect him, made a phone call to Mr. Khaled Oram, and Mrs. Wassima Khersheesh, the parents of the deceased who passed away, after falling into a well,” the statement said.
As rescue efforts continued throughout the week, gripping much of the country, the hashtag #SaveRayan went viral worldwide. Tens of thousands of people around the world kept vigil for the child, posting encouragement to Twitter under the hashtag #SaveRayan.
The child, who was bloodied but was moving, had taken food and water that was dropped down to him using a rope.
Authorities used machinery in the difficult operation because the diameter of the well was only just over a foot and a half wide, Al-Aoula reported.
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