Private divers end river search for boy

A second search of Winnipeg's Red River for a drowned six-year-old boy has ended with no success.

The Manitoba Search and Rescue Association (MSRA) scoured the river on the weekend, picking up the effort after the Winnipeg police dive unit called off its search last week.

The MSRA crew was joined by divers from CAST (Canadian Amphibious Search Team).

Nathaniel Thorassie, 6, and his brother, Ralph Chartrand, 10, were playing on the thin ice when they fell through on Dec. 4. His brother was rescued by a passerby, but Nathaniel could not be found.

MSRA search commander George Leonard said Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO), the northern chiefs group, requested his help once the police halted their search.

Leonard said the search crews are disappointed.

"The guys didn't want to quit. You don't want to stop. You hate failure," he said. "You don't like not coming up with the proper result."

Leonard's team will assess the situation this week and talk to MKO as well as Nathaniel's family about what to do next.

"We are gonna give them an answer this week as to what we are going to decide. You know, you have two really capable dive teams that came up with a zero so far," he said.