Moroccan boy trapped in well dies before rescue

By Sophia Bainos Linder

A five-year-old boy who was trapped in a well for four days has died, despite the great care and efforts to rescue him.

A royal statement announced his death soon after his removal from the well. The bid to free the boy, Rayan Oram, had gripped the country, with hundreds of people gathered at the well and thousands more following online.

The boy plunged 32 meters (104ft) through the well’s narrow opening. The rescue had been hampered by fears of a landslide. The rescue finally brought the boy out of the well on Saturday evening. No word had been given at the time about his condition, and the apparent rescue was initially met with cheers from the crowd. But this turned to heartbreak minutes later when the statement came announcing that Ryan had died.