Focus area expands in search for girl, 10, who fell through creek ice

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Focus area expands in search for girl 10 who fell

The search effort for a missing 10-year-old girl who fell through ice on Whirl Creek in Mitchell last weekend expanded to the neighboring community of St. Marys on Thursday.

Crews enter their fifth day of the search for the child, whose identity has not been made public. The St. Marys fire department began is now searching the Thames River near Milt Dunnell Field in town, about 30 kilometers south of Mitchell.

St. Marys town hall officials advised residents the field was closed to the public until further notice.

“Please stay away from the area while firefighters conduct their search,” officials said in a statement. “The river is flowing quickly, and only trained personnel should be involved in these efforts.”

  1. Members of an OPP search and recovery team patrol Whirl Creek east of Road 160 in Mitchell Wednesday for a missing 10-year-old girl who fell through the ice on Sunday. (Andy Bader/Postmedia Network)

    Search for girl who fell through ice revives pain of eerily similar ’76 tragedy

  2. A firefighter scans Whirl Creek near Mitchell on Monday, March 7, 2022, for signs of a 10-year-old girl who fell through ice into the creek on Sunday morning. (Derek Ruttan/The London Free Press)

    Mitchell residents rally behind family as search continues for missing girl

  3. Firefighters scan Whirl Creek near Mitchell, Ont. on Monday March 7, 2022. A 10-year-old girl fell through ice on the creek on Sunday morning, emergency officials say. Derek Ruttan/The London Free Press/Postmedia Network

    Search summarized for 10-year-old who fell through area creek’s ice

  4. Concerned local residents helped firefighters keep an eye on a section of Whirl Creek from a bridge on Road 160, near Frank Street, in Mitchell on Sunday March 6, 2022. A girl, 10, had fallen through ice hours earlier. Chris Montanini/Stratford Beacon Herald

    ‘Terribly tragic’: Search entering Day 2 after girl, 10, fell through ice

  5. A firefighter scans Whirl Creek Tuesday from Mitchell's Wellington Street bridge as crews search the fast-moving waterway for a third day for any sign of a 10-year-old girl who fell through the ice Sunday morning. (Derek Ruttan/The London Free Press)

    Searchers dig in anew on Day 3 of quest for girl who fell through creek ice

  6. A low-flying helicopter is visible just east of Mitchell on the afternoon of Sunday March 6, 2022 as local fire departments search the tributaries of Whirl Creek after reports of a child falling through ice around 10:30 am ANDY BADER/POSTMEDIA NETWORK

    Rescue mission underway in local town after girl falls through ice

The massive search effort for the girl began about 10:30 am Sunday when fire officials say a 10-year-old fell through ice on Whirl Creek just east of Mitchell. It has devastated the community of 5,000 and sparked an outpouring of support from residents, some of whom lined up teddy bears along a local bridge and donated food to crews.

Thursday, local fire departments and Ontario Provincial Police, with their dive team, canine units and helicopter, were back searching the tributaries of Whirl Creek and the Thames River.

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