2-Year-Old Spanish Boy Found Dead After Falling Down Well

Rescuers found the body of 2-year-old Julen Rosello at the bottom of a 360-foot well, local officials in Andalusia, Spain said Saturday.

“Unfortunately at 1.25 am this morning, the rescue teams have accessed the point of the well where Julen was sought and have located the lifeless body of the child. My condolences and condolences to the family. R.I.P.,” Alfonso Rodríguez Gómez de Celis, a delegate of the government of Spain in Andalusia, wrote in a statement on Twitter, reports CNN.

“Spain joins the infinite sadness of Julen’s family,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez tweeted. “We have closely followed each step to get to him. We will always appreciate the tireless effort of those who searched for him during all these days. My support and love to his parents and loved ones.”

King Felipe VI also wrote on Twitter, “Our deepest sorrow and heartfelt condolences to all of Julen’s family. And our recognition to each and every one of the people who, without rest, have shown their solidarity without limits.”

Julen was visiting the village of Totalan in the province of Malaga, in southern Spain, when he fell into the well, which had a diameter of only nine inches, on Jan. 13. This sparked a frantic search for the child. Three days after his fall, officials said they found “biological traces” of Julen in the well, including a few pieces of hair found in soil.

The well was bored in December to find groundwater. It was not covered, according to the AFP.

During the rescue efforts, authorities lowered a micro robot 260 feet into the well, but could not find Julen. They also dug tunnels near the well to try to reach the point where Julen could have fallen. More than 100 firefighters and emergency responders rushed to the scene.

This was not the first tragedy for Julen’s parents, Jose and Vitoria Rosello. The couple lost their 3-year-old son Oliver suddenly two years ago because of a heart defect, El Palo residents told El Pais.

“My wife is broken,” Jose Rosello told reporters Wednesday. “We are dead inside. But we hope we have an angel to get my son out of there.”

According to The Express, Julen’s grandmother, Reme Garcia, shared a message on social media during the search, asking for Oliver to look out for his brother from heaven.

“Today all I ask is that your brother comes out now. He needs you,” she reportedly wrote. “Oliver, don’t forget your brother Julen. You know we’ve been waiting for him for many hours. I know you protect him a lot, my little King.”