Rescuers on Saturday late night retrieved the body of the young Moroccan boy who was trapped for five days in a well. The painstaking rescue operation and the plight of the five-year-old captured worldwide attention.
Moroccan royal palace said in a statement that the boy had died before rescuers could save him.
“Following the tragic accident which cost the life of the child, Rayan Oram, His Majesty King Mohammed VI called the parents of the boy who died after falling down the well,” the statement said.
Workers with mechanical diggers worked around the clock after Rayan fell into a 32-metre deep well in the hills near Chefchaouen.
The well was narrowed and got smaller further to the bottom, making it impossible for rescuers to descend directly. Images on social media showed Rayan huddled at the bottom of the disused well and pleading for help.
Visuals flood on social media showing the scene after his body was recovered. Hundreds of workers and villagers gathered at the site chanted prayers for the wellbeing of the child.
His parents were escorted to an ambulance before the body emerged.