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AN ENORMOUS search has been launched for an autistic six-year-old boy who has been missing in Germany since Monday evening.
Arian Arnold’s panicked parents called cops just three minutes after they noticed their son had gone missing after playing outside in the garden.
An army Tornado jet, sniffer dogs, drones and a sonar boat have since joined the frantic search for Arian along with hundreds of emergency service workers.
Cops revealed “half the village” is also looking for Arian, making the search party at one point 600 people.
The youngster, who is non-verbal, had just recently started playing outside alone and coming back in of his own accord.
Cops explained that because he doesn’t speak and can’t respond to calls or shout for help, the seemingly unprecedented rescue mission is “particularly difficult”.
They said: “We have to search very closely because we have to assume that he will not come forward on his own initiative.”
Firefighters, police and volunteers are out looking for him near his home in Elm, southern Saxony in worrying temperatures.
The small cluster of houses in Bremervörde where the family live leads onto rapeseed fields bordered by a large forest.
Beyond the fields is a stretch of the River Oste, where a sonar boat has been deployed to scan for him, Bild reports.
A Tornado jet from the German army was deployed to fly over the area on Tuesday evening in an unprecedented move.
It took aerial pictures with a special thermal imaging camera alongside a helicopter which also scanned the area.
Cops are desperately searching the rapeseed fields around the estate, as well as nearby ponds and neighbours’ gardens.
Dozens of police formed a human chain to sweep through the nearby area on Tuesday with no success.
They searched ditches, hedges, barns, dung heaps and sheds until late into the night with no luck.
Residents have been asked to check their outbuildings and private CCTV, as cops told them “the missing boy could also be in a shed or similar hiding place”.
They said: “So far we have not been able to discover him.
“We’re trying to do everything we can.”
A spokesperson for police leading the search said: “Arian can hardly articulate himself. We are looking for a boy who would not contact us even when we are near him.
“It’s possible he’ll still be out next night. The situation is dramatic.”
Arian was last seen around 7.30pm on Monday evening wearing only dragon-patterned sweatpants and a jumper with socks.
The youngster had just learnt to open locked doors, cops explained, but exactly how he vanished so quickly is still unclear.
His panicked dad called the police just minutes later.
The temperatures in Saxony at this time of year have sparked great concern amongst those searching for him.
The fire department said it is currently “critical” and “just below freezing point”.
On Tuesday evening it hit around minus two degrees.
Police this morning said: “Unfortunately, we currently have no clues as to where the boy could be”.
Riot police forces have apparently been called out to join in the search today as emergency services double down in their efforts.
There is a small unpaved road that leads from the houses past the fields and into the woods, although it isn’t know whether Arian took this route.
A police officer said it is “quite possible” he is hiding in a shed or some similar location on private property in the town.
One neighbour said: “Everyone who lives here lives in harmony with one another. But you have to say that everyone tends to live on their own and in seclusion.
“I just hope he shows up quickly.”
