Spanish well tragedy toddler buried

A Spanish toddler found dead at the bottom of a deep well after a massive rescue operation was buried yesterday next to his brother.Two-year-old Julen Rosello was interred alongside his brother Oliver who died in 2017 aged three after suffering cardiac problems.A crowd at the entrance to the cemetery in Malaga in southern Spain applauded as the little boy’s family arrived for the burial.The accident on January 13 sparked a nearly two-week operation to try to locate Julen in the borehole that had been sunk illegally.The nation had watched the rescue efforts breathlessly, with many hoping for a miracle until the last moment.Prayers were offered at churches non-stop, while many people also set up vigils.Despite hopes that he might be found alive, rescuers eventually found his body early on Saturday morning.“Unfortunately, despite the efforts of so many, we were not successful ... rest in peace Julen,” read a statement from the Spanish Civil Guard, the national police agency.“When they found the child, there was an hour of total silence in the shaft,” said one rescue worker, describing the scene at the time.Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska thanked everyone who had participated in the effort. “We did everything humanly possible.”Rescuers in the town of Totalan were not able to get to Julen via the well he fell down because it was blocked by a layer of earth, sand and stones believed to have been dislodged when he tumbled in.After unsuccessfully trying to suck up the blockage using machines, they decided to dig a vertical shaft parallel to the well and then dig a 4m tunnel to join both channels.Local daily Malaga Hoy, citing sources, said a post-mortem found Julen died on the same day he fell from a “traumatic brain injury”.He was in free fall until his body was stopped by a layer of dirt at a depth of 71m.Investigators said he most likely died when a rock loosened by his passage fell and hit him on the head.The toddler had fallen feet first into the shaft, with his arms stretched upwards, they said.