Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
A MASSIVE OPERATION to locate and rescue a two-year-old boy who is trapped in a 350ft well in Spain has entered its third day.
Police said they have yet to find any sign of the young boy – bar a packet of sweets and a plastic cup in a blockage nearly 250ft down the 10-inch wide hole – but insisted they would continue to search for him round-the-clock in the hope of saving him.
Specialist machinery has been brought in to ‘suck’ away the earth which has prevented emergency service responders from confirming the boy, named Julen, is beneath the blockage – thought to have been caused by a mini-landslide as he fell – and is still alive.
Overnight, private sector experts began to install tubing in the uncased shaft on land near Totalán, a 30-minute drive northeast of Malaga, to prevent it collapsing.
Officials admitted Julen’s condition was unknown, with his loved ones clinging to the hope there was water and a pocket of air at the bottom of the well which could be keeping him alive despite a fall which has been described as the equivalent of 30 floors.
Praying for a miracle
The youngster’s parents, whose three-year-old son Oliver died in May 2017 after suffering a heart attack believed to be linked to a congenital heart condition, continued to pray for a miracle from a tent at the scene where they have spent the past 40 hours since their son vanished.
This morning’s work was geared towards continuing to try to remove the blockage 250ft down the well while shoring up the shaft. Two other options have also been considered, although neither has yet been launched.
One involves creating another wider hole, running parallel to the existing well, which would be made slighter deeper and link to the first hole in a u-bend.
The other involves excavating a horizontal tunnel an adult could fit into through the hillside to the spot where rescuers hope to eventually locate Julen.
Officials have said both options could take at least two days to complete – and they ideally need to discover exactly where the youngster is first.
More than 100 people including police, firefighters, Civil Protection workers and private sector experts are involved in the search operation.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
More than welcome…
@Pete Lee: Why would we protest, the Trump administration has been nothing but kind to Ireland.
People might not like Trump, but he hasn’t done anything other than sour relations.
Not very political, but hardly dictator-ish.
@Pete Lee: yes our simpering government can’t wait to kiss his bum.
@Cynical: Other than locking thousands of children up in concentration camps without charge in appalling conditions, he’s a great guy. Crimes against humanity notwithstanding.
@seamus mcdermott: If you read this, it seems to have been a serious issue in the US long before he got a chance to try and stick his fingers in it. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/08/magazine/the-shame-of-americas-family-detention-camps.html
Honestly, other than threatening people he’s going to do something, please tell me what has he actually done?
I’m not a Trump supporter, I just think people waste way too much energy following updates on whether he picked his left nostril or right one.
So tolerant liberals who celebrate diversity can’t tolerate someone with diverse views. Instead of demonstrating against Mike Pence’s visit, shouldn’t they be demonstrating how tolerant they are by welcoming him?
@Henry Gaynor: they are. They’re breaking out their glitter balls. Shiny, happy people. I bet Mike even has a pair of flares in his closet.
@jamesdecay: He could bring a plane load of Mexican migrants with him and they could get a right old salsa going. The demonstrators could bring them home for the night afterwards. Isn’t that what often happens at discos?
@Henry Gaynor: in fairness, I haven’t been to a disco in a long, long time. But that sounds the makings of a plan. Or at least a good hooley anyway
@Henry Gaynor: what the hell are you talking about? …
Fantastic news, we need more progressive politicians like Mike.
@Mick paisley: Progressive you say?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Pence#Criticism_and_controversy
@Greg Ward: that’s the trouble with social media. It’s impossible to tell from a post, the difference between the angry, funny and the gobshide.
@Paul Furey: Jasus Paul calm down will ya!
@Ananya Sharma: And there you go, you perceived he wasn’t calm, I perceived nothing like that!
@Greg Ward: it can be hard to tell sometimes. Maybe we should adopt the /s used on reddit.
@Paul Furey: Mick’s comment was very obviously sarcasm.
@Mick paisley: why would we need progressives, they are a pack of nut jobs. They are the new fascists.
@Burn_the_Witch: Blatant. Certain users should need an ‘N’ badge until such subtitles are recognised.
Where were this lot when our parliament was (incredibly) shut down to accommodate Nancy Pelosi…who had just legalised abortion UP TO BIRTH in New York??
But I guess that this shower are the ones who allowed the same up to birth abortion to belegalisedhere last year.
Yes you did…or did you not bother to find out what your yes vote would mean.
@Ismise Máire: I don’t know really. I guess they were at home happy that the dáil was celebrated someone who fights for women’s rights over the perceived “rights” of religious nutbags. That’s my guess.
@Ismise Máire: I’m so happy that I voted Yes to Repeal the 8th and fully informed myself, watched and listened to all of the debates, heard the falsehoods of the ‘Pro-Life’ campaign which were easily dismissed, it was such an historic day and Ireland can be proud that the vast majority of her citizens voted in solidarity with our women.
@Ismise Máire: wow, the falsehoods are strong in this one.
@Ismise Máire: look. We had a referendum. You lost. The writing is on the wall for you.
@Mairead1990: what falsehoods Liam?
@Mairead1990: Where do you stand on a woman’s right to be born?
@Henry Gaynor: Hey, don’t be sexist, men too!!! And @Mairead1990 where do you stand on a man’s right to not pay maintenance? Would that be a fair comparison, or does the right to choose only affect women? I know it’s a crazy comparison, but it’s a crazy world, right?
It’s a Monday and Tuesday, do protesters not have jobs to go to.
@aidan mccormack: break out those disco pants, man. Sounds like you need a bop
@aidan mccormack: the only people who have this kind of time to protest are the unemployed perma protesters & employees of state funded advocacy/charity groups. Chinese diplomats do not receive the same animosity for some reason.
@Seamus Mac: think the same about protestors in Hong Kong?
@GrahamMManning: Protesters around the world face the same treatment as those in Hong Kong. Yellow vests were tear gassed in France, protesting war veterans were shot with live ammo in the US.
@GrahamMManning: I think the people in Hong Kong feel that what they are protesting against would have a negative impact on their lives and once implemented would be unchangeable. The Pence protesters are doing so because they don’t like the man’s views.
@GrahamMManning: no disco in hong kong
I don’t agree with Pence views but I do believe he is entitled to hold them. His principles and mine are radically different but my belief in tolerance and diversity means I cannot deny him his right to be different . Respect is a two way street …Pence is a guest of Ireland ., so any protest must be respectful , express a position but not insult a visitor. Leo handled this balance well in Washington ; we must all handle it equally well in a balanced respectful way here .
@peter finnegan: A tolerant liberal. Well done to you. Because it is right-thinking liberals who get to decide what speech is intolerant, the result, in practical terms, is that the ethic of tolerance provides no restraint on liberals at all. It is only a restraint on the actions, speech and, ultimately, thought of their political opponents.
For those on the other side, Catholics or conservatives or anyone who does not subscribe to the new liberal orthodoxy, they are no longer expected merely to tolerate those views with which they disagree, but to affirm and celebrate them – anything less is seen as bigotry etc. Meanwhile, secular liberals can be as intolerant as they like, verbally attacking people and their characters while almost never engaging with and debating their ideas.
@Burn_the_Witch: so you’re annoyed because you think he sounds patronizing? He sounds reasonable to me. But maybe I’m just another one of those god-awful liberals and I’m just demonstrating confirmation bias.
Good name though. Funny how the intolerant burned ‘witches’ in the Middle Ages because of fear, ignorance and a general intolerance of something different.
@jamesdecay: I wasn’t criticizing him at all. Just making a point about how unique he is. And ‘Burn the Witch’ is a song title that I used, nothing to do with politics or anything else except I like said song.
@jamesdecay: And far from being annoyed, I totally agree with everything the OP said. Sorry if my original comment confused you, I should have been clearer.
@Burn_the_Witch: all good
@jamesdecay: Thanks.
I dont want the taoiseachs partner/boyfriend representing me.
@Miller: then don’t vote for Leo and his mates next time. Surprisingly you don’t get to pick their partner
@Miller: You must know Leo’s partner.
@Miller: aw why?
@Miller: do you feel the same about Sabina Higgins? What’s the difference that one couple is gay and the other isn’t? Ridiculous comment but why am I surprised.
A disco?
@Briscoe Sundara: well when you’re protesting every week it gets kind of repetitive. Good to have a theme night to change it up a little!
I thought it couldn’t get any worse than Mr varadkar and all his buddies getting their photo op with Kylie minogue. How many leaders bring their partner and mammy and daddy to meet a world leader. It’s beyond cringeworthy.
@Leo Lalor: most leaders bring their partner to meet with fellow world leaders. I’m sure they would bring their parents too if they were still alive, remember many leaders are elderly and their parents may be sadly deceased. I can’t see the issue and I seriously doubt Mike Pence will see it either.
@Leo Lalor: mike pence bringing his family so what’s the issue
@Deirdre Fahey: we are paying millions towards his security
Mike Pence is part of an administration that is using its influence and soft power to end the criminalisation of homosexuality throughout the world.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-administration-launches-global-effort-end-criminalization-homosexuality-n973081
Why don’t you start paying for your meals Leo.
@Diogenes: I wonder will beef be on the menu.
@Dave Doyle: Only if it’s Brazilian!
Bríd Smith and her cronies will no doubt be protesting against his visit she and her leftie lunnies represent everything I despise about this country.
@Bass demon: Colm o Gorman and his crew is
A “real of Ireland”, really? Pense is loadsa things, v few good, but ye went with he’s not imaginary? Not sure what that fact has to with us but ok.
@GrahamMManning: guess the word ‘friend’ is missing. Surprising. Not much escapes the razor-sharp spellcheckers at The Journal
Hospitals homeless poverty do I need to go on
…and ONE word about Palestine.
@Niall MacSweeney: please could you pass the Palestine! *cough I mean peas!.. I’ll get my coat
How things have changed in 20 years….
Hams…
Seeing its a “family lunch” I hope Leo is footing the bill
Side show. Government get the health system in order and enjoy your lunch but for Christ sake get to work.
So are the Irish taxpayers paying for his parents lunch?
have your say