The death of the 5-year-old boy, stuck for five days in a dry well 30 meters deep, has sparked a wave of emotion around the world in recent days.
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After a human tragedy that moved the world, Rayan’s remains were buried on Monday, February 7. The 5-year-old boy, who died after spending five days stuck in a dry well 30 meters deep, from which he had been extracted on Saturday evening, was buried near his village of Ighrane, arousing the emotion of Morocco and of the whole world.
“The silence is terrible this morning in the village. Everyone was praying that he would come out alive. Everyone cried”, testified a relative of the family to AFP. King Mohammed VI himself had called Rayan’s parents to offer his condolences after his royal cabinet announced the death of the child on Saturday evening.
The tragedy has even prompted an avalanche of messages of compassion in Algeria, as relations between Algiers and Rabat are at their lowest. The coach of the Algerian football team, Djamel Belmadi, said in particular: “Our pain and our sorrow are great, but will never equal those of his parents and loved ones”.
Work to fill in relief tunnels drilled by rescuers, who had been working to get oxygen and water to Rayan, began on Sunday. Many paid tribute to the tireless efforts of rescuers, who dug out the last few inches by hand to avoid any rockslides. From the start of the drama, thousands of supporters had rushed in a sign of solidarity and camped on the spot, in this mountainous area of the Rif, at nearly 700 meters above sea level.