By Leila Merrill
IGHRAN, Morocco — A 5-year-old boy who had been trapped in a well more than 100 feet deep since Tuesday has died, the Moroccan royal palace said Saturday.
The child, who was identified as Rayan, was removed from the well Saturday night through the tunnel that had been dug in the rescue effort. Rayan was wrapped in a yellow blanket, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene.
A medical helicopter and personnel who specialize in resuscitation had been deployed to render aid once Rayan was removed, local authorities told Morocco’s state news agency, Maghreb Arab Press, CNN reported.
The child’s parents were escorted to an ambulance before he was brought out of the rescue tunnel.
King Mohammed VI extended his condolences to the family in a phone call.
People gathered locally throughout the rescue effort, and many followed the story on social media, where the hashtag #SaveRayan went viral.