Police rescue teams were today in a desperate race against time to try to locate a two-year-old boy who fell down a 350ft well.
The boy, named only as Yulen, disappeared down the 15-inch wide hole as his family prepared a paella with friends.
One relative told police they heard him crying seconds after he vanished. Emergency services have been working throughout the night at the country property near Malaga on the Costa del Sol.
A camera lowered into the well failed to capture images or sound from the boy, although a blockage which is thought to be a small landslide of wet sand has been spotted 250ft down.
A bag of sweets Yulen was carrying — which caught on the well wall when he fell — has been found.
It was not clear if there is water at the bottom of the hole, which was reportedly created in December by prospectors before being covered over with stones.
The alarm was raised at about 2pm yesterday. Yulen’s parents, a couple in their twenties who live in Malaga’s El Palo neighbourhood, were with friends who own a country property near the village of Totalan.
Spanish premier Pedro Sanchez tweeted: “I share the anguish of the family of the two-year-old. All my support for the parents and the emergency teams who are participating in the rescue. We continue to hope for the best outcome.”
Around 100 people, including police, firefighters, civil protection workers and experts from the private sector, were taking part in the operation.
