Diving to resume for boy lost in Red River

The Winnipeg police dive unit will go back into the Red River to look for the body of Nathaniel Thorassie who fell through the ice Dec.4 while playing with his brother.

Two separate attempts by police and volunteer divers failed to find the six-year-old's body.

Police expect to team with volunteers to resume the searchthat was abandoned due to thin ice.

But conditions have improved to the point where Sgt. Rob Riffel, the head of the Winnipeg Police Service dive unit, says it is now safe to go back and continue the search.

Riffel said divers are committed to helping the little boy's family find closure. "I can tell you what I have said to the family," he said. "We are committed to bringing Nathaniel home for them. Myself and my unit members all have kids. Well, we can understand the difficulty they have ... especially at Christmas."

The dive team plans to resume searching Jan. 2 or earlier.