10-year-old Ayoub falls into 80m deep well in Algeria
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- Teams dig a parallel trench to reach him through unstable soil.
- Rescue operation draws nationwide attention as crews work around the clock.
A major search and rescue operation is underway in southwestern Algeria after a 10-year-old boy named Ayoub fell into a narrow, 80-meter-deep dry artesian well in the village of El Roken, located within the El Ghassoul municipality of El Bayadh Governorate.
The incident occurred while Ayoub was walking home and stepped onto a wooden plank covering the opening of the well.
The plank suddenly collapsed under his weight, plunging the child into the darkness of the narrow shaft.
From the bottom of the well, Ayoub was heard calling out to his father, "Dad, get me out", prompting an immediate emergency response that has captivated the nation.
Civil Defense digs parallel trench to navigate fragile soil
According to the Algerian Civil Defense, the traditionally dug well lacks protective casing pipes and is extremely narrow, measuring no more than 40 centimeters in diameter.
The rescue efforts are heavily complicated by fragile soil conditions and a dense layer of dirt that collapsed into the shaft, burying the lower section up to a depth of approximately 30 meters where Ayoub remains trapped.
Because the narrow opening and fragile earth make a direct vertical descent exceptionally dangerous, emergency teams opted for a complex rescue plan: heavy machinery is digging a wide parallel trench alongside the well, from which rescuers intend to tunnel horizontally to reach the boy safely from the side.
Public anticipation
On-site footage from the rescue location shows continuous excavation operations conducted under intense caution to prevent secondary soil collapses.
Additional teams, specialized equipment, and heavy logistical support have been deployed to the site.
The operation is being managed directly under the supervision of the Governor of El Bayadh and the regional Director of Civil Defense.
As heavy excavators continue to remove earth hour by hour, Ayoub's family and thousands of citizens across Algeria remain in anxious anticipation, watching the rescue unfold in hopes of a successful extraction.
