EL BAYADH, Algeria — A four-day rescue operation to save a 10-year-old boy trapped inside a deep well in northwestern Algeria has ended in tragedy after emergency workers recovered his body on Saturday.
The boy, identified as Ayoub Hadaf, fell into a dry well at a farm in Ghassoul, in El Bayadh province, prompting a large-scale rescue operation involving Algeria’s emergency services.
Authorities mobilised significant resources as rescuers worked around the clock to reach the child, with drilling and excavation operations continuing for a fourth consecutive day.
Nassim Bernaoui, spokesperson for the Algerian Civil Defense, said the rescue operation involved two main approaches: locating and digging a parallel vertical shaft and carrying out extensive excavation work to reach the trapped boy.
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“The rescue operation began in two ways: with the discovery of a parallel vertical shaft and through a large-scale excavation carried out by the rescue teams to reach the victim,” Bernaoui told reporters.
According to the official, rescuers eventually succeeded in reaching the area where Ayoub was trapped and began efforts to extract him.
However, despite their efforts, the operation ended with the heartbreaking discovery that the child had died.
“The operation was a success, largely thanks to the identification of the shaft’s layout and the rescue operation was subsequently able to begin to extract the victim safely. Unfortunately, he passed away. May God rest his soul,” Bernaoui said.
Difficult Rescue Operation
The rescue operation was complicated by the structure and depth of the well.
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Authorities said the well was approximately 80 metres deep but only about 40 centimetres in diameter, making it extremely difficult for rescuers to reach the child directly.
Rescuers also faced the additional challenge of heavy soil surrounding the area where Ayoub was trapped.
Emergency workers said the boy was “trapped beneath a thick layer of soil,” further complicating efforts to reach him safely without causing a collapse or further endangering the operation.
Rather than attempting to enter the narrow well directly, rescue teams relied heavily on drilling and excavation to create an alternative route to the boy.
Nation Watches in Hope
News of Ayoub’s ordeal attracted widespread attention across Algeria, with many people following updates from the rescue site and praying for his safe recovery.
Social media platforms were flooded with messages calling for the boy to be rescued, as hopes remained high throughout the operation.
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The tragedy has since prompted an outpouring of grief, with many Algerians expressing sympathy for Ayoub’s family and praising the emergency workers who spent days attempting to save him.
Questions Over the Well
Eyewitnesses reportedly said the well had previously been covered, but its protective lining had deteriorated over time.
The incident has raised concerns about the dangers posed by abandoned or poorly maintained wells, particularly in rural areas.
For Ayoub’s family and the rescuers who fought for four days to reach him, however, the painstaking operation ultimately ended with the loss of a young life.
The recovery of the boy’s body brought an end to days of desperate efforts — and to a rescue mission that had captured the attention and hopes of an entire country.
