A Civil Defense source said the boy fell in the unused well in a wadi close to the village of Roud bin Hadi, south of Hail, while picnicking along with his family.
"Initial efforts to save the child were unsuccessful due to heavy rain in the area," said the source.
"The rescue team had to be reinforced with more men and equipment from nearby towns and divers from Hail because floodwaters had filled the well with mud which made recovering the body even more difficult," he added.
"The Civil Defense struggled for over 14 hours to bring out the body early Friday morning."
Local people told Arab News there are many old wells in the region and that they pose a threat to picnickers unfamiliar with the location. This is further compounded by the absence of warning signs.
Local residents blamed the authorities for not taking steps to fill the abandoned wells and pits. They also called for the formation of a committee to locate and fill all abandoned wells in the area.
Meanwhile, three students were injured when a large tent constructed as part of a festival organized by Hail University crashed during a sandstorm that swept the city on Thursday.
A large number of students and university staff were inside the 80-meter long tent at the time, said Saud Al-Naif, dean of students affairs at the university.
The sandstorm lashed the tent during a lecture.
