Moroccan rescuers dig down to save boy trapped in well

RABAT, Morocco (AP) - Rescue workers in northern Morocco are frantically digging for a second straight day to reach a 5-year-old boy trapped in a 32-meter (105-foot) deep well, officials said Thursday.

The boy has been trapped in the well, located in the northern village of Ighran in Morocco's Chefchaouen province, since Tuesday evening.

According to reports by Morocco's official MAP news agency, rescue workers have used five bulldozers to dig a hole parallel to the well in an attempt to reach the boy, identified as Rayan.

Local officials said rescue workers have so far reached 19 meters in an attempt to reach the boy.

According to MAP reports, the rescuers are monitoring the trapped boy with CCTV cameras. He is being supplied with oxygen and water through pipes that were lowered to him.

Abdel Hadi Temrani, a member of the rescue committee, told local TV news channel 2M that medical staff are on site to attend to the boy once he's lifted from the well. A helicopter is on standby to transport the boy to the nearest hospital.

Khalid Agoram, the boy's father, told another local broadcaster that he been looking for his son for a few hours on Tuesday before discovering that he had fallen into the well.

Moroccan government spokesperson, Mustapha Baytas, said Thursday that the government is closely monitoring the situation in Ighran, studying different ways to help save the child.

Thousands of Moroccans took to social media to express their sympathy with the boy and his family. The hashtag #SaveRayan has been trending for hours in Morocco and Twitter posts have brought global attention to the rescue efforts.