Afghan boy dies after being trapped for three days inside well

An Afghanistan boy who was trapped for three days inside a well in a village in the southern province of the Asian country, has died, according to officials.

The deceased child who was identified as Haidar, on Tuesday, slipped to the bottom of a well being dug in Shokak, a drought-ravaged village in Zabul province, some 400 kilometres (250 miles) southwest of the capital, Kabul, local media said on Friday.

“Rescue workers had worked non-stop to save the boy believed to be aged five, including by digging an open slit trench from an angle at the surface to try to reach the point where he was trapped,” the report said.

On Friday morning, officials had announced that Haidar was still alive, but they later announced on Twitter he had died.

“With great sorrow, young Haidar is separated from us forever,” Anas Haqqani, a senior adviser at the Interior Ministry, wrote.

READ ALSO: Afghan couple stoned to death over alleged illicit affair

Before the announcement of Haidar’s death, the Zabul police spokesman, Zabiullah Jawhar said:

“The rescue team has faced a new obstacle and a rock is preventing them from digging more. We are concerned that dust could fall on the boy, and probably we would lose him, so we are working carefully.”

The boy’s grandfather, 50-year-old Haji Abdul Hadi, said he fell down the well when he was trying to “help” the adults dig a new borehole in the parched village.

Officials said the boy slipped to the bottom of the 25-metre (80-feet) shaft, but was pulled by rope to about 10 metres before becoming stuck.

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