Hundreds attend funeral for little Rayan, boy laid in final resting place

Hundreds of mourners flocked the Zawia cemetery in the village of Daourtan this Monday, February 7, near Chefchaouen, North of Morocco, to pay their respects and perform the funeral prayer for Rayan before his burial.

Hespress witnessed authorities restricting the significant influx of mourners due to limited space, but familiar locals were able to bypass security thanks to other unsupervised routes, according to the Hespress AR reporter on the scene.

Many citizens even walked considerable distances to reach the cemetery, up to 8 kilometers, after authorities decided to prevent cars from entering the roundabouts.

Preparations for the funeral began this morning, as the Duhr funeral prayer was revealed to take place at the local Zawia cemetery.

The surroundings of the Igran roundabout were witnessing significant security reinforcements in preparation for the funeral.

Authority forces have been dispatched around the area, and are distributed along the road leading to the child’s family.

Moroccan authorities allocated a private plane to transport Rayan’s body from the capital, Rabat, to the Chefchaouen province.

Rayan’s death was confirmed mere minutes after he was finally retrieved from the well, where he had been stuck for 5 consecutive days.

Local authorities expected a strong presence for today’s funeral prayer, and have set up mats along the vicinity of the mosque to accommodate participants.

Although the funeral was attended by hundreds, the prayer was restricted to a few dozens, including the boy’s male family members.