The world prays for little Rayan: Five-year-old boy is pictured at bottom of 100ft well where he has been trapped for THREE days amid desperate race to save him in Morocco as thousands watch transfixed on live TV
Rescuers inched closer Friday to reaching a five-year-old boy trapped for three days in a well in Morocco, in an operation hampered by concerns about ground stability that has captivated the North African country.
The boy, identified as Rayan, fell into a 32-metre (105-feet) shaft, located outside his home in the village of Ighran in the northern province of Chefchaouen, on Tuesday evening.Search crews first used five bulldozers to dig vertically to a depth of more than 31 metres, according to Morocco's official MAP news agency.
Then on Friday, they started excavating a horizontal tunnel to reach the trapped boy, MAP said, adding that experts in topographical engineering were called upon for help. Work had to be temporarily halted, but was later resumed.
'Digging has stopped momentarily out of concern that the ground surrounding the well could collapse,' rescue committee member Abdelhadi Temrani told local television 2M.
Rescue workers used a rope to provide oxygen and water to the boy, but were unable to reach him via the hole where he is trapped due to its narrow diameter.
'I pray and beg God that he comes out of that well alive and safe,' his mother Wassima Kharchich told 2M. 'Please God, ease my pain and his, in that hole of dust.'
Medical staff, including specialists in resuscitation, are on site to attend to the boy once he is pulled out, with a helicopter on standby to transport him to the nearest hospital.
The Moroccan government said Thursday that all efforts are being made to help save the boy.
Scores of townspeople and others gathered to help and watch the rescue efforts. Nationwide, Moroccans took to social media to offer their hopes for the boy's survival, using the hashtag #SaveRayan which has brought global attention to the rescue efforts.
It comes after camera footage from a frantic rescue operation showed the boy lying at the bottom of the shaft with a rope which rescuers used to transport water and oxygen in a desperate attempt to keep him alive.
The operation to save the young boy's life entered its third day today, with Moroccans still waiting anxiously on Friday after authorities and firefighters continued to dig a trench parallel to the well in an attempt to pull him out. 
Pictures have emerged of a five year old boy trapped at the bottom of a well shaft in Morocco after he miraculously survived a 100ft fall on Tuesday. Camera footage from a frantic rescue operation showed the boy lying at the bottom of the shaft with a rope which rescuers used to transport water and oxygen in a desperate attempt to keep him alive
The five-year-old, named as Rayan, fell down the narrow 100-foot (32-metre) deep well on Tuesday evening in his home village of Ighran near Bab Berred in the rural northern province of Chefchaouen, local media said (camera footage shows a rope which was used to deliver supplies)
Moroccan authorities and firefighters work to rescue five-year-old boy Rayan, who is trapped in a deep well for over two days, near Bab Berred in Morocco's rural northern province of Chefchaoue. Diggers continued working overnight in an attempt to free the boy
Authorities said the mission was nearing its end overnight, with spokespeople reporting around 3am GMT that there was less than 20ft of earth left to dig to reach him. Pictures from the scene overnight showed multiple diggers delving deep into the earth from multiple directions in order to reach the boy, as small crowds gathered on the edge of the ever-growing pit
Moroccan authorities and firefighters work to rescue five-year-old boy Rayan, who is trapped in a deep well for over two days, near Bab Berred in Morocco's rural northern province of Chefchaouen on February 3, 2022
Pictured: Moroccan authorities and firefighters work to get five-year-old child Rayan out of a well into which he fell on Tuesday, in the region of Chefchaouen near the city of Bab Berred
Authorities say the mission was entering its final stages tonight - with less than 20ft of earth left to dig to reach him but fears that the well could cave in before the delicate operation to reach him is complete. The five-year-old, named as Rayan, fell down the narrow 100-foot (32-metre) deep well on Tuesday evening in his home village of Ighran near Bab Berred in the rural northern province of Chefchaouen, local media said.
Pictures from the scene overnight showed multiple diggers delving deep into the earth from multiple directions in order to reach the boy, as small crowds gathered on the edge of the ever-growing pit.
Meanwhile, footage showed rescuers sending cameras down the well's shaft to monitor the boy's situation, as the rescuers turned on floodlights to continue their efforts overnight.
The rescue effort has captivated the nation with the hashtag #SaveRayan trending across social media.
'The child's rescue is approaching,' government spokesman Mustapha Baitas said late last night. 'Our hearts are with the family, and we are praying that he will back with them as soon as possible.'
On Thursday local media reported that he had taken food and water that was dropped down to him using a rope.
According to reports by Morocco's official MAP news agency, rescue workers have used five bulldozers to dig a hole parallel to the well and will hope to break through into where the boy is to rescue him.
The well's diameter narrows as it descends, from 18 inches (45 centimeters) at the top, preventing rescuers from going down themselves to bring him up, a lead rescuer told state TV Al Oul.
The shaft was too narrow for rescuers to reach the bottom, so heavy diggers were dispatched to dig a hole alongside it.
On Thursday afternoon, news website Le360 said that 'only nine metres' (30 foot) remained to be dug 'that will allow rescuers to reach the boy'.
The MAP news agency said rescuers had been able to send him oxygen and water via pipes.
Pictured: The hole of a well is seen in the foreground where the boy is said to have fallen 100ft, while in the background diggers work from multiple angles in an attempt to rescue him
Residents watch in concern as civil defence and local authorities dig in a hill as they attempt to rescue a 5 year old boy who fell into a hole near the town of Bab Berred near Chefchaouen, Morocco, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022
Moroccans were still waiting anxiously on Thursday evening after authorities and firefighters launched the dramatic operation to save the boy from the deep well. Authorities tonight said the mission was nearing its end
Pictures and video from the scene today showed multiple diggers delving deep into the earth from multiple directions in order to reach the boy, as small crowds gathered on the edge of the ever-growing pit
The shaft that the boy fell down on Tuesday was too narrow for rescuers to reach the bottom, so heavy diggers were dispatched to dig a hole alongside it. It has been over 40 hours since the boy fellRayan's father told Le360 he had been repairing the well when the boy fell into it.
Lead rescuer Abdelhabi Temrani told Al Oula television that the diameter of the well was less than 45 centimetres.
Baitas said the nature of the soil meant it was too dangerous to try to widen the hole, meaning major excavations around it were the only solution.
The drama has sparked an outpouring of sympathy online, with the Arabic hashtag #SaveRayan going viral across the North African region, including in neighbouring Algeria.
'The heart of every Moroccan is with this angel,' one person wrote on Twitter.
The boy's fate has also attracted crowds of people to the site of the operation, putting pressure on rescuers operating in 'difficult conditions', Baitas said.
'We call on citizens to let the rescuers do their job and save this child,' he said.
Authorities have also prepared a helicopter to take the child to hospital once he is extracted, national news channel 2M said.
Pictured: Video captured of a screen showing a camera's footage as it was lowered down into the well where the boy fell 100ft. The shaft was too narrow for rescuers to go down themselves, so they were forced to dig down the side of the well in an attempt to reach the boy
On Thursday afternoon, news website Le360 said that 'only nine metres' (30 foot) remained to be dug 'that will allow rescuers to reach the boy'
Residents watch in concern as civil defense and local authorities dig in a hill as they attempt to rescue a 5 year old boy who fell into a hole near the town of Bab Berred near Chefchaouen, Morocco, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022
Rescue operations are underway by Moroccan authorities and firefighters to get five-year-old child Reyan out of a well into which he fell some two days earlier, in the region of Chefchaouen near the city of Bab Berred, Morocco, 03 February 2022
The case of 'Baby Jessica' who fell down a well in Texas
Rayan's ordeal in the well has drawn comparisons to the case of Jessica McClure Morales, famously known as Baby Jessica, who fell into a well in her aunt's backyard in Midland, Texas, in October 1987 at the age of 18 months.
For 58 hours, rescuers worked to successfully free her from the 22-foot (6.7 metre) deep well.
As in Rayan's case, rescuers decided to dig in parallel to the well where Jessica was lodged because, with an 8-inch (20cm) well opening, it was too narrow for them to simply drop down and reach her. They then drilled another horizontal cross-tunnel to reach her - but not without difficulty.
Rescuers found that the well was surrounded by rock and the local oil drillers and rescuers' jackhammers could not hit through.
The horizontal tunnel was eventually created through the use of waterjet cutting, an industrial tool which uses an extremely high-pressure of water and an abrasive substance to cut through rock.
Jessica was finally rescued when paramedic Robert O'Donnell inched his way into the tunnel and pulled the toddler free from her awkward position pinned inside the well with one leg above her forehead.
When rescuers finally brought her to the surface, she was covered with dirt and bruises, and her right palm was stuck to her face.
When rescuers finally brought her to the surface, Baby Jessica was covered with dirt and bruises, and her right palm was stuck to her face
Jessica (left after she was pulled out of the shaft) also lost a toe to gangrene because one leg was pinned above her head in the underground shaft
As in Rayan's case, rescuers decided to dig in parallel to the well where Jessica was lodged because, with an 8-inch (20cm) well opening, it was too narrow for them to simply drop down and reach her. They then drilled another horizontal cross-tunnel to reach her - but not without difficulty
Jessica, now 35, has said in the past that she has little memory of being wedged in the pipe or of the 15 operations that followed her ordeal.
A scar from her hairline to the bridge of her nose is still visible however where her head rubbed against the wall of the well.
Jessica also lost a toe to gangrene because one leg was pinned above her head in the underground shaft.
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