Spanish toddler who plunged down borehole had multiple bruises, likely died on impact, report says

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Crews in Spain race to rescue 2-year-old boy who fell down well

The boy wandered off from a family picnic and fell into a well that is more than 350 feet deep and only 10 inches wide.

The 2-year-old boy found dead Saturday after earlier this month plunging down a borehole in southern Spain reportedly had multiple bruises and likely died from the impact of the 223-foot freefall.

Sources close to the investigation into the death of Julen Rosello – whose body was recovered after a 13-day search – told El Pais the toddler's autopsy results suggest he didn't survive after the swift drop underground.

Authorities haven't officially commented on the results of the autopsy, only saying Saturday it would remain confidential amid an investigation into any “potential liabilities” into the 2-year-old’s death.

Rosello fell down a narrow 360-foot borehole Jan. 13 while his family prepared a countryside Sunday lunch. The opening to the dry waterhole had been left unmarked and uncovered.

There was hope against all odds the boy might have somehow survived the drop; however, his remains were found early Saturday by rescuers who'd been digging a tunnel to reach him.

“The position of the boy determines that it was a fast free-fall to [233 feet], which is where he was found,” Alfonso Rodriguez de Celis, the Spanish government’s representative for the southern region of Andalusia, told reporters Saturday, according to El Pais.

In this photo taken on Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019, Jose Rosello and Victoria Garcia, parents of 2-year-old boy trapped in a deep borehole, take part on a vigil at the town of Totalan near Malaga, Spain. Spanish authorities say that rescue experts are using explosives to make their way through a 4-meter (13-foot) wall of hard rock to reach the space where a 2-year-old boy has been trapped for 12 days. (Alex Zea/Europa Press via AP)

He said medical tests had been conducted and the results will be given to the Malaga judge in charge of an investigation into the legality of the borehole’s construction and any “potential liabilities” into the 2-year-old’s death.

The dry waterhole, only 10 inches in diameter, was too narrow for an adult to get into and hardened soil and rock blocked equipment from progressing to the area, two-thirds of the way down, where the toddler was trapped.

SEARCH FOR SPANISH TODDLER WHO FELL DOWN BOREHOLE HITS MAJOR SETBACK

Only hair that matched Julen's DNA was found in the borehole and no other verbal or visual contact had been established with him.

“The whole design of the operation, which was carried out on an urgent basis, and all of the work that was carried out, was based on one theory: that Julen was in the borehole,” Rodríguez said Saturday, according to the newspaper. “That he was at the depth where he was eventually found. We worked with urgency, but also delicacy. Because the aim was to reach him without causing him any harm.”

Video released by the Civil Guard showed miners drilling horizontally into what appeared to be solid rock.

“Centimeter by centimeter,” the agency wrote.

The tragedy gripped Spaniards -- and many others worldwide -- almost immediately and the country followed closely every turn of the extremely complex operation, which was frequently hampered by layers of hard rock.

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Spain's King Felipe VI and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez both offered their condolences to the family.

"All of Spain shares in the infinite sadness of Julen's family," Sanchez wrote on Twitter. "We have followed each step taken to reach him. We will always be grateful for the tireless effort of those who worked to find him during these days. My support and warmth to his parents and loved ones."

Rosella’s death marks the second tragedy for his parents, Jose and Victoria, who lost their 3-year-old son, Oliver, just two years ago. He died of a heart attack caused by an underlying defect, according to local reports.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.