The dad of a five-year-old boy who died after being trapped at the bottom of a well for nearly a week bid an emotional farewell at his son's funeral.
Hundreds turned out to pay their respects to Rayan Awram who fell into a 105ft shaft outside his home in the Moroccan village of Ighran in the northern province of Chefchaouen last week.
Emergency crews raced against the clock to rescue the child after the accident on Tuesday, however, after he was finally freed on Saturday it was announced he could not be resuscitated.
Government officials confirmed Rayan had died while still inside the well.
On Monday, mourners descended on the local cemetery, which sits at the top of a steep unpaved road, and waited for hours to watch the traditional Muslim burial service.
Grieving parents Khaled Aourram and Wassima Kharchich were transported in an ambulance.
Mr Aourram told broadcaster Chouf TV: "May God be with my son."
Rayan's aunt, Atiqua Awram, said: "My nephew, my heart is aching for him, too much. May God be with him, just like how God stood with us."
Two large tents had been put up in front of the family home for mourners to offer condolences.
One villager, aged 50, said they had never seen as many people attend a funeral, describing Rayan as "the son of us all".
Volunteer digger, Ali Sahraoui, told reporters: "We spared no effort to reach the boy alive. We excavated around the clock in five days what could have taken weeks."
On Sunday, Moroccan international footballer Abderrazak Hamdallah, who plays for Al-Ittihad extended his "deepest condolences" in an Instagram message.
Morocco's King Mohammed VI, meanwhile, sent his condolences to the family and praised the rescue crews and local community.
Bulldozers were used to dig a huge trench into the side of the hill alongside the well during the rescue effort.
The shaft was deemed too narrow to otherwise reach Rayan and attempting to widen it was too risky.
Engineers and topographers became involved, with Civil Defence personnel also seen suspended by a rope.
On Saturday, a hole was being dug horizontally towards the well, with rescuers also installing PVC tubes to protect themselves against landslides.
On the same day, a rope was used to send oxygen and water to the boy as well as a camera to monitor him.
Footage the day before had shown Rayan lying at the bottom of the well.
Mrs Kharchich said at the time: "I pray and beg God that he comes out of that well alive and safe.
"Please God, ease my pain and his, in that hole of dust. The whole family went out to look for him then we realised that he'd fallen down the well."
Mr Aourram said he had been repairing the well when his son fell into it and watched on anxiously throughout the rescue mission, thanking those involved.
