Moroccan rescuers race to free child stuck in well as night falls

Moroccan rescue workers were digging around the clock on Friday night to reach a young child trapped at the bottom of a well in Morocco.

The delicate operation involves digging out large parts of a hillside where there is a risk of landslide.

The five-year old boy, publicly identified only by his first name, Rayan, fell into the well in the northern hill town of Chefchaouen on Tuesday and his plight has gripped the North African country.

The well is 32 metres deep and narrows as it descends from its 45cm diameter at the top, which means the rescuers cannot go down themselves to retrieve the child.

The hilly region around Chefchaouen is bitterly cold in winter and though food has been lowered to Rayan, it was not clear whether he has eaten any.

He has also been supplied with water and oxygen using a tube.

Rescuers worked through the previous night with bulldozers to cut a massive trench into the hill next to the well leaving a gaping hole in the reddish earth.

Once they reach the same depth as the well, the rescuers can start digging horizontally to save him, a witness told Reuters, confirming reports by local media.

A helicopter is standing by to ferry Rayan to hospital as soon as he is freed.