A tragic story is unfolding in New Hamburg.

Emergency crews from the Waterloo Region are scouring the Nith River for a missing five-year-old boy.

Police have set up a command centre at the Legion in New Hamburg to coordinate search and rescue efforts.

It’s believed the boy left his parent’s home without a jacket and headed toward the river.

Rescue workers began a search of the area.

Footprints were found leading to a hole in the ice by the river’s edge, with none heading back.