Laurence Dollimore
THE desperate attempt to rescue little Julen has been delayed yet again.
Miners have been blocked by another hard rock just centimetres away from the presumed location of the two-year-old, who fell down the well in Totalan, Malaga, 12 days ago.
Experts will now have to carry out at least one more controlled explosion to disintegrate the rock and open up a route to the trapped tot.
The team was first delayed by hard rock, or quartzite, yesterday, forcing them to carry out three controlled explosions to move forward today.
The hard terrain has produced a constant battle for the crack team of miners from Asturias.
The eight heroes, who famously rescued the Chilean miners, have been working in pairs digging in 40-minute shifts.
Meanwhile, helicopters and a field hospital are on standby next to the tunnel.
The choppers are ready and waiting to whisk the boy to hospital if necessary, while a team of medical experts are prepped to attend to the boy if there are signs of life.
The mission to rescue the boy is trending on Twitter, with tens of thousands voicing their support using the hashtag #mimanoajulen (my hand to Julen).
