Child found dead after a four-day rescue effort in Algeria’s western El-Bayadh province. Published September 6, 20266 September 2026 The body of a 10-year-old boy has been recovered from a well in Algeria’s western El-Bayadh province, the country’s civil protection agency said, ending a four-day rescue operation that had drawn national attention. The agency said in a statement on Facebook on Saturday that rescuers reached the boy, Ayoub, who had died and recovered his body. He said local authorities and other agencies had mobilized all available resources for the operation. Ayoub fell into a dry well on Wednesday while walking home in Errokn village, Ghassoul municipality. He stepped on a wooden plank covering the opening of the well, which gave way beneath him, and he dove into the well, which was about 80 meters (262 ft) deep and 40 cm (15.75 in) in diameter. The rescuers were unable to descend into the well, so they dug a parallel well to reach the child through a horizontal passage, using machinery and technical experts, work that continued for several days. Loose soil and layers of hard rock complicated the effort, officials said. Rescuers try to save Ayoub [Courtesy of Bawabat Al-Jazayer]El-Bayadh authorities formed a crisis response unit under the command of the provincial governor, Noureddine Belarbi, involving civil protection, security and military personnel. Large crowds of residents gathered near the scene over the following days to monitor the operation and offer support to the family, while additional civil protection units were deployed as the rescue entered what officials described as a “decisive” phase on its fourth day. Ayoub’s death has reignited public debate in Algeria about the safety of unsecured wells in rural areas, with commentators. questioning the lack of regulation covering such structures, particularly in isolated regions. The case recalled the 2018 death of a young man who fell down a 100-meter (328-foot) well in Msila province, where a rescue operation lasted nine days before his body was recovered, and the widely followed 2022 case of Moroccan boy Rayan, who died after falling into a 32-meter (105-foot) well and being trapped for more than 100 hours in an operation. that attracted worldwide attention before he was removed and later confirmed dead.
