Bremervörde
Arian is still missing: emergency services rely on a human chain
As part of the search, the police also published photos of the boy Arian, who was missing in Bremervörde
© Police / stern/rös
Six-year-old Arian from Lower Saxony has been missing since Monday evening. People are working day and night to find the boy. Significantly more people are expected to help with the search on Sunday than before.
The search for six-year-old Arian from Bremervörde-Elm in Lower Saxony was also unsuccessful on Sunday night. “There are no new findings from the night,” said a police spokeswoman early in the morning. On Sunday, the emergency services used an adapted strategy to finally find the missing person: They planned to explore the area with a large, coordinated human chain. Previously, the search was carried out in smaller groups, among other things. It is planned that around 800 emergency services will try to locate the boy on Sunday. The logistics of getting all helpers from the fire department, THW, rescue workers and the Bundeswehr to the scene were enormous, said the police spokeswoman.
Search for Arian: Police officers volunteer
Exactly how many people were previously looking for Arian is unclear. Police did not have a total number. A spokesman said that around 50 police officers volunteered for duty on Saturday; there were no riot police officers on duty. There are also helpers from the German Life Saving Society, the German Red Cross and the Technical Relief Agency. A spokeswoman for the Lower Saxony state command of the Bundeswehr said on Saturday that around 400 property guards and logisticians were currently taking part in the search during the day. Around 60 soldiers are deployed at night.
The police spokesman said there was no evidence of a criminal case. The spokesman ruled out a possible wolf attack, as there are wolves in the area. A wolf advisor from the Rotenburg district also thinks this is unlikely. Wolfgang Albrecht said that danger only exists in special cases, such as when a wolf feels attacked.
Recordings of the mother should help in the search for Arian
Various approaches have been taken in previous searches. The boy, who has been missing since Monday evening, is autistic and could shy away from contacting emergency services without the permission of someone he trusts. Therefore, some messages from his mother were played in which she allowed him to contact emergency services, as occupational therapist Jutta Bertholdt reported to the dpa on Saturday. Bertholdt advises the helpers during the search. Rules are comparatively important to people with autism, said Bertholdt.
Bertholdt had advised the emergency services not to touch Arian if they found him. Autistic people may find touch from strangers unpleasant or painful, Bertholdt said. But that is not always the case. The occupational therapist praised the emergency services. We are looking for what is right in all places. It could be that, as an autistic person, unlike his peers, Arian is not afraid of the dark forest.
On Saturday night, around 200 Bundeswehr soldiers searched for him in small groups and with night vision devices using a so-called silent strategy. A police spokeswoman said on Friday evening that the new tactic had also been discussed with an autism expert, among others. Beforehand, among other things, music was played and fireworks were set off because the boy liked it. The police hoped to get a lead on the six-year-old from northern Lower Saxony, who has been missing since Monday evening.
Arian left his parents’ house alone on Monday evening. Hundreds of emergency services have been combing the area around the six-year-old’s hometown for days. A surveillance camera filmed the boy running towards an adjacent forest after disappearing from his home. The Bundeswehr increased its support to a total of around 450 soldiers on Friday.