A three-year-old child is missing after a van was swept into the Grand River near Waldemar in Amaranth Township early on Wednesday.
Centre Wellington Fire and Rescue was called at around 1:25am on Feb. 21 to assist the Grand Valley Fire Department with a water rescue.
Police say a vehicle drove around a road block and into the fast-moving flood waters near the 10th Line in Amaranth.
Centre Wellington Fire Chief Brad Patton said crews from Fergus and Elora stations were called for water rescue near the bridge at Dufferin Road 109 and Trafalgar Road.
“When we got there … the chief from Grand Valley said that a woman had driven a van into the river, that the woman has been extricated and that they were looking for the child,” he said.
The van was about 95 per cent submerged, said Patton.
“We were unable to locate anything there,” he said.
“We searched the banks in the area where the women was found and unfortunately we weren’t able to find anything there.”
Patton said the scene was turned over to police.
Cst. Paul Nancekivell of Dufferin OPP said the young boy was “swept away” from the woman’s grip. The female driver was taken to hospital.
“We’ve located where the vehicle has submerged, we’re eventually going to be recovering it but the water is moving so fast right now, it’s too dangerous to recover right now at this point,” he said.
Nancekivell said Dufferin OPP are searching the shoreline with assistance of the OPP Underwater Search team and an OPP helicopter. Dufferin Caledon Crime Unit is canvassing the neighbourhood for witnesses and the search is ongoing.
“We’ve got some extremely fast moving water here on the Grand River right now,” said Nancekivell.
Patton said the call was tough for his firefighters and “very, very tough” for the family.
The rescue was “very difficult,” he said, adding firefighters were dealing with darkness, fog and cold, fast moving waters with large ice chunks.
“It’s very exhausting for the firefighters, because you’re constantly fighting the current when you’re in the water in your rescue suits or trying to paddle,” he said. “It’s very difficult for them and very risky.”
Names of the child and woman have not been released.
