Published on 5/9/2026
On the fourth day, the efforts to save the Algerian child Ayoub entered a crucial phase and civil protection teams were sent with additional elements to keep up with the new phase.
The child Ayoub (10 years old) fell into a well 4 days ago in al-Bayd state in the southwest of the country and since then civil protection teams are continuing their efforts to reach him and save him alive.
Reports from Algeria indicated that rescue efforts reached an advanced stage today, Saturday, after civil defense personnel entered a parallel well dug next to the well in which the child was trapped and began work on fixing a horizontal passage to his place.
Although civil protection teams have reached a crucial stage, efforts to rescue and reach Ayub are difficult at this stage due to the fragility of the soil and the presence of hard rock layers, forcing them to work with caution to avoid any collapse that could threaten the child or civil protection personnel.
Details of the incident
Details of the incident began last Wednesday afternoon (September 2) when Ayoub fell into a dry well on his way home in Al-Rukni village, Al-Gasouli municipality, El-Bayd state, southwest Algeria. When he stepped on the wooden board that covered the hole of the well, the board suddenly fell under his feet and the child fell into the depth of the well and disappeared from sight.
They immediately began to remove it from the well, which is about 80 meters long and about 40 centimeters in diameter, in extremely difficult conditions, which prevented the rescue teams from going directly to the depth.
Due to the difficulty of reaching the child from the well itself, the rescue teams began to dig a parallel well next to him, with a horizontal passage to reach his place.
After continuing to dig for the past few days, additional members of the Civil Defense entered the parallel well, to the point where they reached the child horizontally.
Ayoub’s fate is unknown as of Saturday morning, and medical teams and an ambulance are on the scene to intervene as soon as he is removed.
My father let me go… I screamed from the depths of the well
Yesterday, Friday, the child’s father told local press that Ayub went to fetch a water bottle for his brother and stood on top of the wooden cover of the well to see from a distance, but the fragile cover collapsed and the child fell into it.
He added that he rushed to the spot after being informed that his son had fallen and when he called out to him from the top of the well, he heard him crying for help: “Daddy let me go.”
After receiving the report of the abortion of the child, the authorities of the state of El Bayad established a crisis cell, headed by the governor of the state, Noureddine Bellarib, with the participation of civil defense groups and security, military and local authorities.
The state said – on Thursday – that the rescue operation began with intensive activity and high-level field coordination, according to the plan to ensure the availability of the child.
He added that various heavy equipment, a dedicated well chamber, medical and paramedical crews, besides an ambulance equipped at the site, were prepared to provide immediate care after the child was removed.
Later, the state confirmed that the rescue operation continues unabated and with maximum concentration and full readiness, under the direct supervision of the Governor of El-Beid and in the presence of the competent authorities.
According to his explanation, the field work is based on the continuation of drilling in parallel with the intervention of specialized groups and the provision of the necessary mechanisms and capabilities.
Around the well, a large number of citizens gathered to watch the operation for the child’s family, while the family awaited the results of their efforts to reach him.
Incidents that return to memory
Ayoub’s ordeal brought Algerians back to the memory of the incident of Ayash Majoub, a young man who fell into a well about 100 meters deep on December 17, 2018, in the Umm Shamli region of M’Sila state, in the center of the country.
For 9 days, the Algerians continued to try to reach Ayash, before the operation ended with the recovery of his body.
The incident also recalled the tragedy of Moroccan child Ryan, who fell 32 meters into a well in February 2022 and remained trapped for more than 100 hours, amid efforts to save him that attracted international attention.
The operation then ended with Ryan being pulled from the well before his death was announced, a tragedy that caused widespread shock inside and outside Morocco.
