Rabat – A two-year-old boy died in Ahad Benmoussa, near Fkih ben Salah after falling down a 20-meter deep water well.
The child fell in the well on Thursday evening, according to local authorities. While rescue workers were able to reach him in under an hour, the child did not survive, with rescuers only able to extract his body.
Morocco’s 2M reported that the child’s body will be examined in an autopsy in a regional hospital in Ben-Mellal.
The incident brought back the memories of the Rayane tragedy earlier this year.
In early February, five-year-old Rayane fell into a 32-meter abandoned well, becoming stuck there for over four days as rescue teams attempted to safely extract him.
Due to the difficult terrain, rescue teams had to dig through hundreds of meters of rocks to reach the child.
Shortly after being rescued from the well, Rayane was pronounced dead, bringing an end to a story that gripped the world for days.
The tragedy prompted intensified calls for the state to intensify regulations when it comes to building wells, to avoid similar accidents in the future.
Despite Morocco setting up committees and systems to fill unused wells and strengthen regulations, similar incidents are still occuring throughout the country since Rayane’s death.
Well-drilling operations in Morocco can only be conducted in a legal way with official authorizations and safety procedures, but hundreds of local reports have shown that many drill these water holes with little regard for safety measures.
Drilling a well legally can cost as much as MAD 1,000 to finish the proper applications. While the government introduced new punitive measures following the death of Rayane, it did little to make legal well construction more affordable, or provide subsidies for people who wish to improve the safety of local wells.
Besides safety issues, illegal well drilling can also cause water exploitation concerns for neighbors. There are several examples of residents filing complaints against neighbors who drilled illegal wells, citing concerns of draining water resources.
