Rescue operations to free a six-year-old girl, Lama, who had fallen into a 100-meter-deep well in Tabuk, have been hampered by adverse weather conditions and loose soil at the site.

An official said she might be freed in the next 24 hours as reports suggested that the rescuers were close to reaching her.

The Saudi Red Crescent, and municipal and health officials are involved in the operation.

Civil Defense teams are digging a parallel borehole to reach the child.

Police are also looking for the landowner who dug the well and left it uncovered.

It has now been six days since Lama fell into the well in Haql area near Tabuk.

She was on a weekend picnic at the spot with her parents when she fell into the well that was partly covered and had no warning signs.

Lama’s father called the Civil Defense and police after hearing Lama’s screams.

There has since been a full-scale rescue operation under way monitored by Tabuk Gov. Prince Fahd bin Sultan.

Brig. Mastour Al-Harithy, director of Tabuk’s Civil Defense, has been camping at the site with dozens of personnel, including specialist geologists from Saudi Aramco.

Col. Mamdouh Al-Anzi, media spokesperson for the Civil Defense in Tabuk, said officials lowered a camera into the well, which found that Lama was at a depth of 30 meters in the 100-meter-deep and half-meter-wide well.

He said Civil Defense teams are working around the clock with their machinery.

Al-Anzi said the rescue operation was halted for some time due to strong winds and falling sand and rocks. However, the rescuers had almost reached the child on Wednesday, and it was likely she would be freed in the next 24 hours, he said.

The relatives of the girl wanted to join the rescue operations but officials stopped them because they might endanger the child in the sandy area.