Another Rayan in Algeria? Rescuers race to save 10-year-old boy trapped in 80-metre deep well

Dubai: A short journey to deliver lunch to his older brother turned into a race against time for 10-year-old Ayoub, who fell into a narrow, dry well in south-western Algeria.

Ayoub had taken food to his brother, who was tending sheep, and was making his way back to his home in the village of Al Rokn, in El Ghassoul municipality, Brezina district, in El Bayadh province, when the accident happened.

As he walked across a wooden board covering an opening in the ground, the plank suddenly collapsed beneath him.

What appeared to be an ordinary surface was covering a traditionally dug dry artesian well about 80 metres deep and just 40 centimetres wide.

The rescue has been complicated further by the absence of protective casing inside the well and by soil that had been dumped into it to a depth of about 30 metres, making any direct descent extremely dangerous.

Rescuers dig from the side

Algerian Civil Protection teams deployed specialist crews trained for difficult terrain, along with heavy excavation equipment and cameras used to inspect wells.

A medical team has also remained at the site in preparation for the moment rescuers reach the boy.

But with the well so narrow and the surrounding soil unstable, crews decided that lowering rescuers directly into the shaft could endanger both Ayoub and those trying to reach him.

Instead, they began digging a parallel shaft towards the depth where they believe the boy is trapped. The plan is then to carefully excavate a horizontal passage to reach him from the side.

Each stage requires precision because any collapse of the surrounding earth could further complicate the operation.

Karim Ben Fahsi, a spokesman for Algeria’s Civil Protection, said according to Sky News Arabia that rescue efforts had been under way since around midday on Wednesday, with bulldozers, drilling equipment, ambulances, rescue vehicles and specialist teams deployed to the scene.

As excavation continued, time became another source of pressure for crews working in difficult conditions.

Memories of Rayan

Ayoub’s case has also revived memories of Rayan, the five-year-old Moroccan boy who fell into a narrow well in Chefchaouen province in February 2022.

Rayan was trapped about 32 metres underground, and millions of people followed a five-day rescue operation in which crews also dug a parallel shaft and then a horizontal tunnel in an attempt to reach him.

That operation ended with the announcement of his death.

In Algeria, the effort to reach Ayoub continues, with rescuers still digging through earth and rock in the hope of bringing the 10-year-old safely to the surface.