The family of the 5-year-old Moroccan boy who was trapped underground for four days gathered to pay their tributes and put the child to rest.
On Saturday, four days after a massive rescue operation began, little Rayan Awram was pulled out of the 105-foot-deep shaft that he fell into and got himself trapped in earlier last week.
Despite all the effort put into the rescue mission by dozens of workers and servicemen, the young boy could not be resuscitated and was declared dead shortly after he was brought back to the surface.
Now, the 5-year-old’s family gathered alongside hundreds of mourners in Ighran, Morocco, to pay their final respects to Rayan and put him to eternal rest.
During the emotional funeral service, the child’s family was seen battling tears as his casket was carried to his grave.
“May God be with my son,” Rayan’s father, Khaled Aourram, expressed.
Meanwhile, hundreds of locals and other mourners gathered in the small village to give the 5-year-old the sendoff he deserves.
“Rayan’s death has renewed faith in humanity as people in different languages and from different countries express solidarity,” one villager said.
“I am over 50-years-old and never seen as many people in a funeral. Rayan is the son of us all,” another added.
Ali Sahraoui, a volunteer who helped with the rescue, said: “I am very sad. We spared no effort to reach the boy alive. We excavated around the clock in five days what could have taken weeks.”
Paying condolences to the grieving family were also King Mohammed VI of Morocco and international football star Abderrazak Hamdallah who offered a house to the boy’s parents.
“We have gone through five very remote days and our hearts were snatched from us, Moroccans, all Arabs and Muslims, and even the whole world,” Hamdallah wrote.
“We praised and thanked God for everything that Rayan took, and he was more merciful to us and more deserving of it than us.
“With this affliction, I extend my deepest condolences to Rayan’s family, and I ask God to grant them patience and solace.
“And I have decided, in my name and my family’s name, and in the name of all Moroccans and Muslims, to help and bring a little joy to Rayan’s family, his parents and his brothers and give them a fully equipped house. We ask God to accept us and make it in the balance of the good deeds of all Muslims.”
Our thoughts remain with Rayan’s family during these challenging times.
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