Now more than 100 years later and with 99 percent of the mines closed, this team of eight men represent the only hope of reaching Julen, the two-year-old trapped at the bottom of a borehole for 12 days. These specialist miners are used to working in cramped and difficult conditions dozens of metres below the surface of the ground. Using pickaxes, shovels and mini explosive devices to loosen the hard stony earthy they hope to reach Julen some time on Friday afternoon. The first team went down at 5.49pm on Thursday to begin a job that is expected to be completed within 24 hours. READ ALSO: Artists illustrate the race against time to save Spanish toddler Julen

Source: The Local January 25, 2019 11:15 UTC