Search continues for boy, 2, who went missing near northwestern Alberta river

Grande Prairie RCMP believe a two-year-old boy who went missing near a northwestern Alberta river on Friday evening may have been swept away by the water.

The search for the toddler continued on Sunday, two days after he disappeared near the Wapiti River in the Municipal District of Greenview.

RCMP Cpl. David Lee said the family, who is from Grande Prairie, was playing in the water near the Canfor Bridge when the little boy went missing.

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Boats, all-terrain vehicles and a helicopter were involved in the search efforts, which also included people scouring the area by foot. In total, about 40 to 50 people were involved in the search on Sunday.

Several boats and a police dog could also be seen at the water’s edge on Sunday afternoon.

Police said the search area spanned about 20 kilometres of the Wapiti River, including areas of brush along the water.

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“From the bridge, we’ve explored heading east all the way up to where the Smoky and the Wapiti rivers intersect, focusing on some more detailed locations. Also, we have done some checks around the bridges along the river,” Lee explained.

Lee said the search mission will transition into a recovery mission when they’ve exhausted all options, but added they aren’t at that point yet.

“We are not at that point yet and we are still looking at other resources,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We are not at that point yet and we are still looking at other resources," he said.

Lee said all things considered, the family is doing well and is thankful for the outpouring of support.

“Our volunteers remain hopeful at all times because we look to get closure for the family, whether that be just by assisting them to the best of our abilities or finding the child.”

Search efforts will continue until about 10:30 p.m. Sunday and ramp up again at around 7 a.m. Monday, police said.

People are asked to avoid the area while the search continues.

The M.D. of Greenview is located about 480 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.

With files from Julia Wong, Global News.