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National Post

Searchers looking for two Nova Scotia children missing for six days are exhausted, but optimistic

Article content LANSDOWNE – The search continues for Lansdowne, Pictou County children Lily and Jack Sullivan. Incident commander, RCMP Staff Sgt. Josh Weiss said it's done with a combination of 'exhaustion' and 'optimism' by RCMP search teams. Article content Article content 'We want to bring these two children home to their parents,' Weiss said, as he and Cpl. Carlie McCann, public information officer for Nova Scotia RCMP, met with reporters on May 6 in Lansdowne Station. Article content 'We have people who have been here since day one, the first time the call came in. They're tired, but they remain optimistic. Article content Article content 'This is all search and rescue does, they try to bring people home safely,' he said. 'They're trying to stay on focus, on mission, and they're sacrificing their personal lives – a lot of time to be here – to try and help this family out and bring these children home.' Article content Lily and Jack went missing Friday morning from their Lansdowne home in a rural part of Pictou County, roughly 25 minutes southwest of New Glasgow. The search is through dense forest. Article content 'It's difficult,' Weiss said. 'You have blow-down (trees, vegetation) from the last few storms, from Fiona. You have bugs, heat exhaustion, it's cold at night, and water pouring down on your head. Article content 'And this terrain is not flat. It's uphill and downhill, there are holes, cervices, and bogs – it's a lot of work. It's physical exhaustion for these searchers when they're out there doing their thing.' Article content Weiss said the search area expands daily as searchers, RCMP, and ground search and rescue (GSAR) teams from around the province exclude an area. Article content Article content Article content With a few of the questions from reporters venturing into the ongoing investigation area, McCann emphasized the point that they can only answer questions pertaining to the search at this time. Article content 'This does remain a missing persons investigation,' McCann said. 'At this point, we're still treating it as missing people, and our goal is still, with the police and searchers on scene, the variety of GSAR teams, to locate Lily and Jack and bring them home safe. Article content 'I can't comment on the investigation, just the search.' Article content McCann talked about the use of drones, which include forward-looking infrared (FLIR) technology, which helps the search proceed throughout the night and early morning hours. Article content 'The goal of the drones with the FLIR technology is to locate differences in temperatures on the ground. When those spots are identified, searchers on the ground can then head to those areas to investigate. Night-time searches using these drones are an effective way to continue the search 24/7,' she said.