Game of hide-and-seek spurs dramatic search
September 20, 2021
A 5-year-old boy playing hide-and-seek spurred a large-scale search operation across land, water and air in the small western German city of Krefeld.
On Sunday afternoon, police, firefighters and rescue workers came from several cities to search from around 4:30 p.m. until the evening. Search parties looked for the boy in the area of Lake Elfrather, which is in the immediate vicinity of the child's home, the Westdeutsche Zeitung said. Krefeld is located just northwest of Düsseldorf, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Drones, boats and divers involved
Throughout the evening, a police helicopter and two teams of drones searched for the boy from the air. On the water, the German Lifesaving Association and the German Red Cross looked for the boy in rescue boats.
At the same time, divers from the Duisburg fire department searched the lake underwater. On land, Red Cross rescue dog teams from the cities of Krefeld, Wesel and Viersen supported the search.
At around 7:10 p.m. the child was found safe and sound in his home's courtyard. According to initial police findings, he had been hiding in various places on the farm during the search operation.
News agency AFP contributed to this report