Fall in the 110-Meter-depth: volunteers try to get through to the boy

It started as a Jolly Sunday outing. The father of Julen made in the Finca of the family, the rice for the Paella. The two-year-old Boy explored with a bag of sweets in Hand, the nearby orchard. At once Julen was nowhere to be found.

Hans-Christian Rößler

Political correspondent for the Iberian Peninsula and the Maghreb, with its headquarters in Madrid.

F. A. Z.

Since Sunday afternoon, more than a hundred Spanish rescue workers search for Totalán in the vicinity of Málaga feverishly for the little boy: He seems to be plunged in a more than 100 meters deep borehole. A mere 25 centimeters width of the Opening was uncovered in the soil. A month ago, had sought workers in vain for water, and the narrow shaft, then not backed up.

In a dramatic race against time to try and now the fire brigade and an army of professionals, to get through to the little boy, the suspect in great depth for more than 48 hours in the wet, cold, and dark hole. According to police, there has been “no physical proof” that the child is there. To exclude but at the moment, other possibilities also, because the parents allegedly belonged to her son in the Bay wines. A small camera but was able to advance so far only to in about 80 meters of depth, without a sign of life from him. A probe found at least a bag of his candy.

The Wellbore is too narrow to adults helpers to abseil. In addition, the walls are not concreted or reinforced, so that the earth fall down and spilling the boy threatens. First of all, the rescue workers were busy, careful the lower part of the shaft, the seems to be with debris and Sand clogged. Although they also worked at night more progress on this path has been slow so far. By Tuesday afternoon, there were only 60 centimeters. Therefore, we considered other options. It was considered to drive a wider shaft parallel to the borehole in the shale rock.