For days, the eight-strong team of miners in Totalán has been waiting for its mission - now it could finally be time: At a depth of about 70 meters, they are to dig the four-meter-long, vertical tunnel. This should lead them to the place where Julen is suspected. The two-year-old had apparently fallen into a 107 meter deep well shaft on January 13 during a trip with his parents.

On Monday evening, the helpers had managed to complete the rescue shaft, which runs parallel to the hole in which Julen is said to have fallen. Since then, there have always been difficulties in securing the shaft: when the stabilizer tubes were lowered, the workers encountered difficulties at a depth of 40 meters, said a government spokesman in Malaga.

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Meanwhile, government spokesmen have also announced that the backup of the rescue shaft with the iron pipes was completed. Currently, an iron cage, specially made for this purpose, is being installed to transport the miners through the shaft. The cage weighs about 300 kilos, is 2.5 meters high and has a diameter of 1.05 meters. In pairs, the miners should, among other things with pickaxes and jackhammers work to the well, in which Julen is suspected. After 30 minutes, they should be replaced by the next two-team. They would be equipped with oxygen masks and kept in touch with colleagues on the outside by telephone. The conditions are extreme, because of the tightness, the men could dig only kneeling or lying, it was said.

If the miners start with the vertical tunnel, it will take about 24 hours to get to the well - should no further complications arise. "Every time there is a setback, the helpers are of course upset, but they are strong," said deputy central government delegation in Andalusia, María Gámez. "I'm sure we will not leave without Julen from here."

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Competent authorities confirmed that the well to which Julen fell was dug without authorization - a common practice in the region to reach groundwater. The judiciary in Malaga has begun investigations to clarify the circumstances of the accident. Hundreds of emergency workers have been trying to find the two-year-old for eleven days with a large contingent. Since the beginning of the mission there was no sign of life from Julen.