Algeria civil defence recovers body of 10-year-old boy from well

By Al Jazeera Staff and Anadolu. Published On 6 Sep 20266 Sep 2026.

Key points

• The agency remarked in an official note on Facebook on Saturday that rescue teams reached the boy, Ayoub.
• Ayoub fell into the dry well on Wednesday while walking home in the village of Errokn, in the municipality of Ghassoul.
• Authorities in el-Bayadh formed a crisis response unit under the provincial governor, Noureddine Belarbi, involving civil protection, security and military personnel.
• Loose soil and hard rock layers complicated the effort, authorities stated.

For context, the body of a 10-year-old boy has been recovered from a well in Algeria's western province of el-Bayadh, the country's civil protection agency remarked, ending a four-day rescue operation that had drawn national attention.

Meanwhile, the agency remarked in an official note on Facebook on Saturday that rescue teams reached the boy, Ayoub. This person had died, and recovered his body. It remarked local authorities and other agencies had mobilised all available resources for the operation.

Ayoub fell into the dry well on Wednesday while walking home in the village of Errokn, in the municipality of Ghassoul. He stepped on a wooden board covering the well opening. It offered way beneath him, and he plunged into the shaft, which was concerning 80 metres (262 feet) deep and 40cm (15.75 inches) in diameter.

Rescuers were unable to descend into the well, so they dug a parallel shaft to reach the boy through a horizontal passage, using machinery alongside technical experts, work that continued over a number of days. Loose soil and hard rock layers complicated the effort, authorities stated.

While further civil protection units were deployed as the rescue entered what authorities described as a "decisive" phase on its fourth day, sizeable crowds of residents gathered near the site over the after days to follow the operation and offer backing to the family.

Ayoub's death has revived public debate in Algeria over the safety of unsecured wells in rural areas, with commentators questioning the lack of regulation covering such structures, particularly in isolated regions.

For context, the case recalled the 2018 death of a young man who fell into a 100-metre (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 toddler Rayan. This person died after falling into a 32-metre (105-foot) well and being trapped for more than 100 hours in an operation that drew global attention before he was pulled out and afterwards confirmed dead.

Taken together, the developments around algeria civil defence recovers body of 10-year point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.