A team of Royal Canadian Mounted Police divers has joined a massive search for missing Manitoba toddler Chase Martens as the area is bracing for more bad weather.
The searchers parties worked through another cold night in rural Manitoba, using flashlights to look through fields and tangled brush for the little boy. Now the focus turns towards creeks, rivers and other bodies of water in the area.
Chase Martens was last seen at about 6 p.m. on Tuesday at his rural home near Austin, Man., wearing a blue jacket, black splash pants, a red hat and boots that light up as he walks. (Courtesy RCMP)
The toddler vanished Tuesday evening from his farm home near the community of Austin, about 120 kilometres west of Winnipeg.
The temperature in the area dropped to –12 C that first night. On Wednesday night, it went down to –5 C overnight but the wind made it feel more like –11.
Rain is expected by Thursday evening. Two or three centimetres of snow are also in the forecast.
The search area was doubled in size Thursday, as RCMP admitted that said search teams were running out of time.
“We are aware of the potential scenarios that we are facing, but we are not giving up hope,” said Manitoba RCMP spokesman Bert Paquet.
He said the RCMP remain hopeful that Chase will be found safe but admitted that the time that has elapsed since his disappearance is working against them.
“We are talking about one-and-a-half days now in some challenging conditions,” Paquet said.
With files from CBC News
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