A civil protection officer describes an ongoing rescue operation for Ayoub, a 10-year-old boy trapped in a well, in El Bayadh, Algeria, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. -
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Last updated: 06/09 - 11:47
Algeria
Days of rescue efforts ended in tragedy on Saturday after Algerian emergency workers recovered the body of a young boy trapped in a well.
Ten-year-old Ayoub Hadaf fell into the dry well at a farm in Ghassoul, in El Bayadh province in the Algeria’s northwest.
The Algerian government mobilised resources to try and rescue the boy and drilling operations continued for a fourth consecutive day.
"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," Nassim Bernaoui, spokesperson for the Algerian Civil Defense, told reporters.
"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.”
Efforts to rescue the boy had drawn widespread attention across the country, and social media was awash with calls to save him.
Rescuers said they struggled to reach him because he was "trapped beneath a thick layer of soil".
The 80-metre deep well was only 40 centimetres in diameter, complicating the operation.
Eyewitnesses said the well had been covered but its lining had eroded over time.
