Morocco’s king says boy, 5, trapped in deep well has died

By MOSA’AB ELSHAMY and TARIK EL-BARAKAH
Associated Press

IGHRAN, Morocco (AP) — Morocco’s king says a 5-year-old boy has died after rescuers pulled him out of a deep well where he was trapped for four days. Moroccan King Mohammed VI expressed his condolences to the boy’s parents in a statement released by the palace. An Associated Press reporter at the scene Saturday evening saw the boy, Rayan, wrapped in a yellow blanket after he emerged from a tunnel dug specifically for the rescue. His parents were escorted to an ambulance before he emerged. His plight had captured worldwide attention. Rayan fell into a 32-meter (105-feet) well and was trapped in a hole too narrow for rescuers to reach safely. Search crews used bulldozers to dig a parallel ditch.