Morocco was overwhelmed with tremendous grief on Sunday as emergency services discovered five-year-old Rayan Oram at the bottom of a well, bringing a tragic end to a five-day rescue operation that engulfed the country and the rest of the world.

The plight of "little Rayan" since he fell down the well on Tuesday afternoon has united the Arab world and triggered a massive outpouring of sympathy, with the Arabic hashtag #SaveRayan trending on social media.

Moroccan Authorities had warned that they did not know whether the child was alive or dead throughout the operation to extract him from the bottom of the 32-metre well shaft

And mirroring the emotional impact of the tragedy, Moroccan Royal Court confirmed Saturday that the child Rayan Oram had been found dead.

The moment when the joy of getting out of the well and the shock of farewell mixed 💔😔
Goodbye hero ♥️#Rayan #Ryan #SaveRayan pic.twitter.com/9jpy47Vlfh

— Simø Elyouzghi (@Mohamed365076) February 6, 2022

A statement from the royal court said: "Following the tragic accident which cost the life of the child Rayan Oram, His Majesty King Mohammed VI called the parents of the boy who died after falling down the well.”

Using bulldozers and front-end loaders, rescue crews had excavated the surrounding red soil down to the level where Rayan was trapped by mid-afternoon Saturday, and drill teams had begun constructing a horizontal tunnel to approach him from the side.

However, development progress slowed as drill teams worked by hand to minimize any vibrations that could bring the brittle dirt crashing down on the child, according to local officials.

The boy's parents were seen walking down the slope into the horizontal tunnel, clearly crushed, before returning and entering an ambulance, AFP correspondents reported.

After pausing in perplexity for a while, the crowd began to disperse in solemn silence.

The funeral date has yet to be announced by the family, but according to Muslim practice, it must take place soon, probably on Sunday.

Following the news that the rescue attempts had failed to bring Rayan back alive, tributes flooded in on social media.

A little boy connected people all over the world. Rest in peace, little angel 🙏🏻#Rayan #الطفل_ريان pic.twitter.com/9ZrVwNAjLz

— Leen (@leenaladwani) February 5, 2022

Many have thanked selfless people who tried their best to save him, sending their deep condolences to the family.

All the love & respect to Ba (uncle) Ali who dug with his hand for more than 100 straight hours to help in Rayan's rescue operation. Ba Ali, a well-drilling expert who never cared about the looming risk & insisted on contributing his long experience to save the little #Rayan. 😞 pic.twitter.com/escoatEs8Z

— Zouhir • ⵣⵓⵁⵉⵔ (@oskai_z) February 6, 2022