Search for missing boy continues in New Hamburg

Officials are searching along the river for a missing boy.

Friday, December 27, 2013, 12:43 PM -

Crews are scouring the Nith River in search of a boy that has been reported missing.

Officials began searching the river when footprints were discovered heading toward a hole in the ice, with none heading back. The search began Thursday evening and stopped at around 10 p.m. It continued Friday morning with officials searching the river's edge, checking under trees and other small places.

The ice on top of the river is thin, with many parts of the river not fully frozen. Crews broke some of the ice to explore the river further.

The dangers of thin ice 
It is important to remember that you can't judge ice by its appearance. Strength is determined by the depth of water under the ice, temperature, distribution of weight upon the ice, etc. Ice doesn't freeze uniformly and while one section may fully support your weight, it could be just 5 cm thick just a couple of steps away.

Booming and cracking, or a lack there-of are also not good indicators of the strength of the ice. The sound just means that the ice is changing as the temperature fluctuates. Try to keep an eye out for the colour of the ice as well. Clear ice, while no guarantee of strength, is better than cloudy ice. Cloudy ice means it has thawed and refrozen. If you are walking on ice and suspect that the ice in front of you could be potentially dangerous, turn around and try to head back the way you came. It supported your weight once, so it is your best bet to return.

If you see someone in the water, never attempt to rescue them. Call 911 immediately and make sure help is on the way. Trained rescue crews will assess and manage the situation. Most importantly, always be aware of your surroundings when near frozen bodies of water.

Thin ice can be dangerous and very difficult to predict. Photos by Mark Rozitis