Rabat – US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price addressed a condolences letter to the family of Rayan, the five-year-old boy who recently died after spending five days trapped in a well in northern Morocco.
“Today, we grieve with the people of Morocco as they mourn the passing of five-year-old Rayan Oram, who died tragically after falling into a well in the country’s northern region last week,” he said.
Rayan fell in the well on February 1. Morocco mobilized heavy machinery and civil protection members to rescue the five-year-old.
After four days of manual digging and heavy machinery excavation work, social protection was able to pull Rayan out of the well. However, a royal cabinet statement declared the child died shortly after the rescuers took him out of the well.
Ned Price regretted Rayan’s death despite a “heroic four-day rescue operation.”
“Like millions around the world, we were awed by the dedication of the rescue team and the solidarity of the Moroccan people as they held out hope for Rayan’s survival. We offer our deepest condolences to Rayan’s family and all Moroccans,” he concluded.
Morocco has received heartfelt condolences for Rayan’s death from world leaders, celebrities, and ordinary people across the world.
Hundreds of people, including journalists and local authorities, attended the funeral of Rayan yesterday; he was buried kilometers away from where he lived.
Moroccans and non-Moroccans expressed sympathy and mourned Rayan’s death after a moment of hope that he could be saved.
Moroccans across the world as well as sympathizers from different countries supported Rayan’s family and paid tribute to the efforts rescuers and authorities deployed to pull Rayan out of the well.
Some public figures have contributed to donations to help Rayan’s family. Moroccan football player Abderzzaka Hamdallah offered to buy an equipped house for the family while Moroccan singer Dounia Batma announced that she donated money to the family.
Both also encouraged other public figures and people who can afford to donate money to help Rayan’ family.
