Rescuers searching for a two-year-old boy who fell down a narrow well in Malaga have begun drilling in a bid to rescue him.

Young Julen plummeted into the hole last Sunday afternoon after walking away from his parents while playing in a mountainous area near the town of Totalan, just northeast of the coastal city.

More than 100 emergency workers were scrambled to find the toddler, but have been unable to access the hole in the ground, which is no wider than 25cm (10in) and is believed to go down more than 100m (330ft).

Image: An idle drill is seen next to diggers and trucks removing sand

According to local media, the hole in the ground was bored a month ago during water inspection works and was not covered or protected.

Several strands of hair belonging to the boy have been found, as has a bag of sweets that he was carrying when he went missing, but there has been no further sign of him.


With the rescue effort entering its sixth day, engineers have begun drilling the first of two tunnels that will be made in the hope that Julen can be reached.

Image: Locals have put up a banner reading 'Julen, Totalen is with you'

Angel Vidal, the lead engineer overseeing the rescue, said: "We are incredibly motivated to reach him as soon as possible. We're not bothered by the hours, the tiredness or the lack of sleep.

"We are hopeful that we will reach him as soon as possible and bring him back to his parents."

Once the first tunnel has been drilled, rescuers will begin working by hand to construct a second shorter tunnel to reach the area where the boy is trapped, which will take a further 20 hours.

While there has been no sign that Julen is alive, the rescue effort will continue to work on the basis that he is.

Local residents have also been holding vigils for the youngster in support of his family, who Spanish media reported have already endured the heartache of losing a child after their three-year-old son died suddenly of health problems while walking along a beach in 2017.