Authorities in Alberta said Saturday that there are no plans to scale back a massive search and rescue mission for a six-year-old boy who went missing last Sunday while on a walk with his family in southwest Alberta.
Darius Macdougall was reported missing after he failed to return from a walk with five other young family members.
The RCMP was notified about an hour later, and a search was launched.
“I want to stress that we are not scaling back the search. Our TSG officers are now on the ground doing a shoulder-to-shoulder search,” RCMP Cpl. Gina Slaney told reporters on Saturday, adding that the officers at the scene were trained to “search for even the smallest piece of evidence.”
Adam Kennedy from Search and Rescue Alberta (SAR) said there were approximately 225 personnel actively scouring the terrain for any signs of Macdougall.
Additionally, there are 128 SAR volunteers from Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan on the scene, he said, as well as a selection of technological tools to aid in advancing the search.
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“Alberta Emergency Health Services has been engaged to provide medical care for all personnel on scene. Search dogs, a helicopter, and drones with infrared cameras continue to be used,” he said.
Other agencies involved in the search include the Alberta conservation officers, Alberta Sheriffs’ fish and wildlife officers, RCMP air services, RCMP police dog services and the RCMP tactile support group.
Kennedy said that while SAR was grateful to the public for its interest in joining the search efforts, the task must be left to the experts.
“We do ask the public to please leave search efforts to the highly trained professionals on scene.”
Crews say they are hopeful the boy has survived the ordeal, based on their consultations with experts in wilderness survival.
“For sure,” Kennedy said. “Obviously, the longer the search lasts, the probability of a favourable outcome does decrease, but as of today, the search effort is reflecting the assumption that Darius is alive.”
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