Agadir – Rescue teams in southwestern Algeria are racing against time to save 10-year-old Ayoub Mohamed Fayid, who fell into an 80-meter-deep well and has remained trapped for four days.
The incident occurred in the village in El Ghassoul municipality in El Bayadh Province, when Ayoub fell through a wooden board covering the opening of the well.
According to local reports, the boy had been returning home after taking lunch to his older brother, who was tending sheep, when the board gave way beneath him.
The well is a traditionally dug, dry artesian well measuring only about 40 centimeters in diameter. Its narrow structure, lack of protective casing, and unstable surrounding soil have made a direct rescue extremely difficult.
Authorities have mobilized extensive human and material resources as the operation continues without interruption.
The incident has also drawn widespread attention across Algeria, with social media users closely following developments and calling for Ayoub’s safe rescue.
Memories of Morocco’s Rayan
The ongoing race to save Ayoub has brought back memories in Morocco and across the region of the tragic story of Rayan Awram, the five-year-old Moroccan boy who fell into a 32-meter-deep well in Chefchaouen Province in 2022.
Rayan’s rescue operation also lasted for days in difficult conditions, with rescuers facing unstable ground and rocks that made the final stage particularly dangerous.
The operation ultimately ended in tragedy. Rayan was retrieved after four days, but Moroccan authorities confirmed that he had died before rescuers could reach him.
Ayoub’s rescue operation remains ongoing, and authorities have not announced his fate. Rescue teams continue working to reach him and bring him to safety.
