Rescuers attempt to free Rayan from a well in Morocco.
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. – Moroccans waited anxiously as authorities said a dramatic operation to rescue a young boy trapped in a deep well for more than 40 hours was nearing its end.AFP/Getty Images
  • Rescuers have been digging for three days to free a 5-year-old boy from a well in Morocco. 
  • The boy, Rayan, fell into the well Tuesday while he was playing nearby, The BBC reported. 
  • Rescuers are nearing the boy, but fear the walls of the well may collapse on him.

Rescuers have been digging for three days to try to free a five-year-old boy who fell to the bottom of a well in Morocco Tuesday. 

The boy, who has been named Rayan by local outlets, according to the BBC, was playing in the town of Tamorot when he fell about 104 feet through a narrow opening and into the well, the BBC reported. 

Rayan's father told news site Le360 that he had been repairing the well when the boy fell into it.

"I couldn't sleep a wink all night," he said.

Rescuers, led by Morocco's Civil Protection Directorate, have been digging to free him since Tuesday, and as of Friday, they have less than 10 feet to go, according to the BBC. 

"The child's rescue is approaching," Moroccan government spokesman Mustapha Baitas said Thursday, the BBC reported. "Our hearts are with the family, and we are praying that he will be back with them as soon as possible."

But, the walls of the well could collapse around Rayan. Baitas said they are digging a "parallel shaft" next to where Rayan is trapped as a safeguard, according to the BBC. 

Additionally, the narrowness of the well is making it difficult to reach Rayan, as it becomes smaller the deeper they dig, Mohamed Yassin El Quahabi, president of the Chefchaouen Association of Caving and Mountain Activities told the BBC. 

"The closer we get, the hole gets narrow and hard to pass through - which makes it very hard to save the child through volunteers. That's why we had to come up with another technique - which is digging," one of the rescuers told the BBC.

According to the BBC, Rayan survived the fall and appears to be alive and conscious. They have been lowering oxygen masks, food, and water to the boy as he awaits freedom. A medical team is ready nearby to treat him once he is freed.

The Arabic hashtag #SaveRayan has gone viral in the area as the rescue mission gets more desperate. Several Moroccan celebrities, including soccer stars Riyad Mahrez and Achraf Hakimi, voiced their support for the young boy on social media.

"#StayStrong Rayan" Mahrez wrote in his Facebook story, along with a photo of the boy.

Read the original article on Insider