A major rescue mission is underway northwest of Stratford after a girl fell through the ice Sunday morning.
An unidentified 10-year-old girl fell through the ice on Whirl Creek in Mitchell around 10:30 am, Perth East-West Perth fire chief Bill Hunter said Sunday afternoon.
Search and rescue crews from West Perth, St. Marys and Stratford are at the scene, Hunter said. An OPP helicopter, drones and canine unit are also helping in the search, he said.
Fire crews from Perth East and Sebringville are searching for the missing girl on the riverbank, Hunter said.
Hunter is asking all members of the public to avoid the area.
“We heard comments on Facebook of people organizing a citizen search party. We don’t want anyone down here by the riverbank,” he said. “It’s dangerous enough with our trained personnel. As much as we appreciate the concern, we don’t want private citizens coming down to the river.”
OPP said in a statement Sunday afternoon crews were working in “treacherous conditions” and said citizen search crews could “hinder the rescue efforts.”
Whirl Creek is part of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority. In its latest bulletin, the agency urged the public to stay off all frozen water bodies as the winter snow pack melts.
“Any ice cover will be weakened and unstable,” the UTRCA warned in its March 4 update. “Banks adjacent to rivers and creeks are very slippery and, when combined with cold, fast-moving water, pose a serious hazard.”
Emergency crews are planning to continue the search well into Sunday evening, Hunter said.
“We’ll stay here as long as we can, as long as it’s safe enough for us to work along the water,” he said.
“It’s terribly tragic. It’s one of those things where everybody has their fingers crossed that we will find her well.”