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London firefighters and police are using boats and a drone as they search for a child in the Thames River on Thursday.
The child was last seen at 3 p.m. in the river in the area of Adelaide Street North and Kipps Lane, London police said.
“Police are asking the public to avoid the area and are reminded that the river is high and moving quickly and to allow emergency personnel with the appropriate safety gear to conduct the search,” the force said in a news release just after 7 p.m.
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Police warned of traffic delays and an increased number of firefighters and police officers in the area.
Police deployed a drone to search for the missing child while the London fire department’s water rescue team patrolled the river in zodiac boats and rapid deployment craft. Firefighters also conducted a line search in the river from 850 Kipps Lane to the Windermere soccer fields.
A London fire truck is being used to monitor the river from an elevated ladder.
Exhausted firefighters took a short break about two hours into the search at the Windermere soccer fields.
The Thames River is usually at a low level in the summer, but heavy rains in July, including on Tuesday, have increased the flow and caused flooding in low-lying parks in the city.
7 p.m. Update:
The fire department said in a social media post dive teams from Waterloo Region police and the OPP are on their way to the river.
“The London fire department completed a line search with techs in the water from 850 Kipps (Lane) to the soccer fields off Windermere. Firefighters had a quick rehab and are back in the water.”
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