About the terrain and the upcoming work of the miners:
The Hunosa Mine Rescue Brigade will lead the final efforts to rescue Julen.
Euronews spoke to Santiago Suarez, the former head of the brigade, about what to expect from the final stretch of the mission.
He said the composition of the terrain would slow the miners down: “In the mine... the material is softer, be it coal or any type of metal."
"(The rescue) is going to be a little slower because it is a very hard rock that is going to hinder and delay progress," he explained.
Suarez said that while the terrain posed a big challenge to the miners, other aspects of the rescue would be more straightforward.
Once in the hole, the miners will use breathing apparatus, drawing on oxygen supplied through 14-kg cylinders, that allow them to spend up to four hours underground at a time, Suarez said.
In mines, workers are used to taking turns every four hours, but at Totalan, "since they are relatively close to the surface, they are going to take turns more frequently," Suarez said.
Suarez also detailed how the miners would secure the rescue tunnel as they excavated the earth.
"They will have prepared wood or some kind of hydraulic masonry, they will also decide in situ what the most appropriate method will be to prop up the roof and sides, so that it (the tunnel) doesn't fall on top of them, and continue advancing,” he said.
"It's a mining job — it's not going to be a big problem for them in this case.”
Of the mission facing the miners, Suarez said it would “be complicated just like almost all rescues” but that "until they start they're not going to see” what is really in store.
Hard rock will slow final efforts to reach Spanish child trapped in well, says miner
