Algerian rescuers dig for fourth day to reach boy trapped in well

Rescue operations in northwestern Algeria entered a fourth day on Friday as authorities deployed excavators to reach a 10-year-old boy trapped in a narrow well. The child, identified as Ayoub Hadaf, fell into the dry well in Ghassoul, a village in El Bayadh province, while walking to meet his older brother who was tending sheep nearby.

His father, Mohamed Hadaf, said he rushed to the site after learning of the accident. He described calling down to his son to confirm he was there, recalling that the well was known to be no more than 100 metres deep. The boy responded, crying, "Baba, come and save me!" The father reassured him that help was being called, after which the child fell silent and appeared to wait patiently.

Eyewitnesses said the well had been covered with earth and a wooden plank, but its lining had eroded over time. Ayoub's uncle, Ibrahim Salaa, said the family had walked over the spot regularly without issue and never imagined the covering could collapse.

Military and civil defense personnel are at the scene, with crawler excavators digging a wide hole alongside the well in an attempt to reach the child. Despite the sustained effort, civil defense officials have indicated that hopes of finding the boy alive are fading.