Morocco holds its breath as rescuers inch closer to boy trapped in well

Rescue workers have entered the tunnel leading to a pocket where five-year-old Rayan Awram has been trapped for days after falling into a well.

For five days the complex and risky earth-moving operation has gripped residents of the North African kingdom and beyond, also sparking sympathy in neighbouring Algeria.

A medical team was with the rescuers, who still hope to find young Rayan alive. 

It was not immediately clear on Saturday how long it would take for them to exit the tunnel.

A camera inserted into the well where Rayan is stuck had shown him, from behind, lying on his side, said Abdelhadi Tamrani, an official in charge of the operation.

But it is "impossible to say with certainty that he is alive," Tamrani said.

Onlookers applauded to encourage the rescuers, sang religious songs or prayed, chanting in unison "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest).

The more time that passes, the more fears arise over Rayan's condition.

READ MORE: Rescuers close in on Moroccan boy trapped in well

‘Showing solidarity’

Rayan accidentally fell about 32 metres (100 feet) down the narrow shaft near his home in the remote village of Ighrane in Chefchaouen province on Tuesday afternoon.

Rescue crews, using bulldozers and front-end loaders, excavated the surrounding red earth down to the level where the boy is trapped and are now digging horizontally towards him, by hand.

They face a risk of landslides, and on Saturday had to manoeuvre around a large rock which blocked their way. Earlier in the darkness, crews had moved a heavy pipe into position in the area.

Thousands of people have gathered and even camped in solidarity around the site in recent days, where reporters have said the tension has been palpable.

"We are showing solidarity with this child, who is dear to Morocco and the whole world," said onlooker Hafid el Azzouz, who lives in the region.

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.

READ MORE: Morocco races against time to save boy trapped in well