A large search is underway for a three-year-old boy who was pulled out of his mother arms by rushing water after a van was swept into the Grand River in Amaranth Township.
According to police, the mother was driving with her son in the middle of the night on a foggy stretch of road when she went through a roadblock on the 10th Line.
The roadblock was set up because of flooding. Minutes later her van was swept into the Grand River.
Police say the woman was able to get out of the van and managed to get to her son. But her son was pulled from her arms by the fast-moving water.
The woman was taken to hospital with minor injuries. Police are still searching the water for the three-year-old boy.
“We're pulling out all the stops on this one, with all our resources, trying to figure out what happened,” says OPP Const. Paul Nancekivell.
The van was found shortly before 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Officials said workers were dealing with rushing water and large chunks of ice in the river.
“We’ve got very bad flooding in the area,” Nancekivell told CTV News. “The water’s … literally about a foot over the road.”
Flooding was also reported in downtown Grand Valley Wednesday morning.
“The downtown’s the heart and soul of that community, so it’s difficult for people to get around,” Nancekivell said.
Water levels in Grand Valley were expected to recede through the day Wednesday.
With files from CTV Kitchener
