RABAT, Reuters – On Saturday rescue workers got closer to reaching a boy aged five who had been stuck for five days in a northern Moroccan well. This is a tragic case that gripped the entire country.

Rayan is the name of the child who was accidentally thrown into the mountain well at Chefchaouen.

It is 32m (100 ft) deep. The water narrows at the bottom, where it drops from 45cm (18 in) above the surface. Rescuers can’t go down to the child.

Bulldozers were used to dig a huge trench in the hill near the well. This left a large hole in the earthy reddish soil. They were working horizontally to reach the well by Saturday morning, installing PVC pipes and protecting against landslides.

Abdelhadi Tamrani (lead rescuer) stated that the second rescue is nearly over… We are racing to get Rayan, and all goes according to plan,” he said to state TV 2M on Saturday.

State news agency SNRT News reported that a rescuer said Friday the boy was alive.

Rayan has not been fed in Chefchaouen’s hilly area. It can be bitterly cold during winter. A tube has been used to provide water and oxygen.

Reuters was told by a local witness that rocks caused horizontal digging to be delayed, making it difficult for manual excavation.

Rayan was rushed to the hospital by a helicopter as soon as his freedom was granted.