Emergency crews search for missing child in West Perth

Emergency crews are searching for a missing 10-year-old child who fell through the ice at Whirl Creek near Mitchell, Ont.

Emergency crews are searching for a missing 10-year-old child who fell through the ice at Whirl Creek near Mitchell, Ont.

West Perth Fire Department Chief Bill Hunter says the call came in around 10:20 a.m. Sunday.

The Perth County OPP, West Perth Fire Department and Perth County Paramedic Services quickly responded to the scene.

Emergency crews have been searching along the riverbanks since, but some of the team had to be pulled out of the water due to the high winds.

Crews had two boats in the water but had to be pulled out since the wind has picked up. 

The search operation has involved Stratford, St. Marys, and Huron Area Search and Rescue Swift Water Rescue teams, along with the OPP West Region Emergency Response Team, Canine Unit, Underwater Search and Rescue, and Aviation.

Police say a number of citizens have offered to help search the area, but the river is not safe and those involved in the search are asking the public to avoid the area in order to “give space for the emergency services to work in the treacherous conditions.”