Hair found during rescue mission to save toddler trapped in well
Rescuers racing to save a two-year-old boy who fell down a well in southern Spain have found several strands of his hair, authorities said Wednesday, raising hopes of finding the toddler whose fate has gripped the nation for days.
It is the first confirmation that Julen is down the 110-metre (360-foot) deep shaft after family members said he tumbled in on Sunday while playing as his parents had lunch nearby.
"We found a little hair (in the well) and the DNA tests carried out by the Civil Guard certify that they belong to the child," Alfonso Rodriguez Gomez, a government representative of the southwestern region of Andalusia, told news radio Cadena Ser.
The boy's father Jose said the discovery meant he and Julen's mother could "see a little light", adding that they felt "dead, but with hope for an angel to help us bring him back alive".
Firefighters had previously found a bag of sweets in the well, but two cameras lowered into the shaft failed to capture any trace of him.
?Damos todo nuestro apoyo y esperanza a la familia del pequeño de 2 años que se cayó en un pozo en la localidad malagueña de #Totalán
Ánimo a nuestros compañeros #GuardiaCivil y servicios de emergencias que están haciendo todo lo posible para rescatar cuanto antes al pequeño. pic.twitter.com/ziSPTzdifu
— AUGC Guardia Civil (@AUGC_Comunica) January 13, 2019
"There is hope he's alive but it diminishes with each passing minute," said Miguel Angel Escano, the mayor of Totalan, the closest town to the well.
Rescue teams are digging two tunnels, one parallel to the well and another at an angle aiming to reach where the child is believed to have fallen.
El dispositivo de búsqueda y rescate del pequeño #Julen, el niño de dos años que cayó a un pozo en #Totalán #Málaga el pasado domingo, trabaja de día y de noche sin descanso para rescatarlo lo antes posible. pic.twitter.com/O6J8c2kpVf
— Emergencias 112 (@E112Andalucia) January 15, 2019
Authorities said the difficult operation in the mountainous area was expected to take between 24 and 48 hours.
The narrow well was bored a month earlier during water prospection works and was not covered or protected, according to local media reports.
READ MORE: Desperate rescue mission for toddler trapped in Malaga well
Comments
See Also
It is the first confirmation that Julen is down the 110-metre (360-foot) deep shaft after family members said he tumbled in on Sunday while playing as his parents had lunch nearby.
"We found a little hair (in the well) and the DNA tests carried out by the Civil Guard certify that they belong to the child," Alfonso Rodriguez Gomez, a government representative of the southwestern region of Andalusia, told news radio Cadena Ser.
The boy's father Jose said the discovery meant he and Julen's mother could "see a little light", adding that they felt "dead, but with hope for an angel to help us bring him back alive".
Firefighters had previously found a bag of sweets in the well, but two cameras lowered into the shaft failed to capture any trace of him.
?Damos todo nuestro apoyo y esperanza a la familia del pequeño de 2 años que se cayó en un pozo en la localidad malagueña de #Totalán
— AUGC Guardia Civil (@AUGC_Comunica) January 13, 2019
Ánimo a nuestros compañeros #GuardiaCivil y servicios de emergencias que están haciendo todo lo posible para rescatar cuanto antes al pequeño. pic.twitter.com/ziSPTzdifu
"There is hope he's alive but it diminishes with each passing minute," said Miguel Angel Escano, the mayor of Totalan, the closest town to the well.
Rescue teams are digging two tunnels, one parallel to the well and another at an angle aiming to reach where the child is believed to have fallen.
El dispositivo de búsqueda y rescate del pequeño #Julen, el niño de dos años que cayó a un pozo en #Totalán #Málaga el pasado domingo, trabaja de día y de noche sin descanso para rescatarlo lo antes posible. pic.twitter.com/O6J8c2kpVf
— Emergencias 112 (@E112Andalucia) January 15, 2019
Authorities said the difficult operation in the mountainous area was expected to take between 24 and 48 hours.
The narrow well was bored a month earlier during water prospection works and was not covered or protected, according to local media reports.
READ MORE: Desperate rescue mission for toddler trapped in Malaga well
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.