Rescue teams continue efforts to save Algerian boy Ayoub trapped in an artesian well

Algerian rescue teams are carrying out a difficult operation to reach 10-year-old Ayoub, who fell into a dry artesian well in the village of Reken, in El Ghassoul municipality, El Bayadh province, southwestern Algeria.

The boy had been returning after delivering a meal to his brother, who was tending sheep. As he crossed a plywood board covering the well opening, the board suddenly collapsed and he fell inside.

The well is about 80 meters deep and no more than 40 centimeters wide. It is a traditional well without a casing pipe, and soil fills roughly the first 30 meters. Those conditions have made a direct intervention highly risky because further collapses could endanger the child.

Rescue crews have therefore adopted a parallel excavation plan. Heavy and specialized machinery is being used to break through hard layers and dig a shaft alongside the well. Teams are reinforcing the edges and walls to prevent the ground from shifting, while cameras and specialized equipment help monitor the well and pinpoint Ayoub’s location.

Medical and paramedical teams, along with an ambulance, remain on full alert at the site. Official civil protection statements say the operation continues without interruption, around the clock, with visible progress and full readiness. The case has drawn widespread solidarity across Algeria under the slogan “Save Ayoub,” as people pray for his safe rescue.

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Save Ayoub