Morocco prepared Monday to bury "little Rayan," the 5-year-old boy who died trapped in a well despite a days-long rescue operation that gripped the world.

The child's fate drew global attention after he fell down a narrow, 32-meter dry well on February 1, and sparked an outpouring of sympathy online.

His funeral is to be held in his home village of Ighrane, in the impoverished Rif mountains of northern Morocco where the tragedy took place, a local official and a relative told AFP.

On Saturday night, crowds had cheered in joy when rescue workers reached Rayan after a round-the-clock digging operation, clearing away the final handfuls of dirt.

But hope turned to grief as news spread that the rescue was too late, and Rayan was dead.

"The silence is terrible this morning in the village," a relative said.

The news was announced by the royal cabinet of the North African nation, after King Mohammed VI called the parents with his condolences.

"We thank his majesty the king, the authorities and all those who have helped us," Rayan's father Khaled Aourram said on Saturday evening. "Praise God, have mercy on the dead.

"Rayan's body was taken to a military hospital in Rabat, according to a cousin, although no report has been given of any autopsy.

The race to rescue Rayan was followed live across the world, and as soon as the tragic conclusion was announced, tributes poured in.

AFP