The body of a 10-year-old boy has been recovered from a well in Algeria’s western province of el-Bayadh, according to the country’s civil protection agency. This recovery concluded a four-day rescue operation that garnered national attention. The agency announced on Facebook on Saturday that rescue teams reached the boy, Ayoub, who had died, and retrieved his body. Local authorities and various agencies mobilized all available resources for the operation.
Ayoub fell into the dry well on Wednesday while walking home in the village of Errokn, located in the municipality of Ghassoul. He stepped on a wooden board that covered the well opening, which collapsed, causing him to fall into the shaft, approximately 80 metres (262 feet) deep and 40cm (15.75 inches) in diameter.
Rescuers were unable to descend directly into the well, prompting them to dig a parallel shaft to reach the boy through a horizontal passage. This effort involved machinery and technical experts, and continued over several days. Officials noted that loose soil and hard rock layers complicated the rescue efforts.
Authorities in el-Bayadh established a crisis response unit under the provincial governor, Noureddine Belarbi, which included civil protection, security, and military personnel. Large crowds of residents gathered near the site over the following days to observe the operation and support the family. Additional civil protection units were deployed as the rescue entered what officials termed a “decisive” phase on its fourth day.
Ayoub’s death has sparked public debate in Algeria regarding the safety of unsecured wells in rural areas, with commentators raising concerns about the lack of regulation governing such structures, especially in isolated regions. This incident has drawn comparisons to the 2018 death of a young man who fell into a 100-metre (328-foot) well in Msila province, where the rescue operation lasted nine days, and the widely followed 2022 case of Moroccan toddler Rayan, who died after falling into a 32-metre (105-foot) well and being trapped for over 100 hours before being confirmed dead.