Child vanishes during Sydney family holiday

A Sydney family's holiday to the mid-north coast has turned into a frantic emergency operation, after a three-year-old boy vanished while playing outside a relative's home.

SES volunteers, locals and police dogs searched through the scrub, desperate for any sign or scent of him.

The Kendall community are united in their search.

Three-year-old William Tyrell was last seen at 10:30am and is described as around 76cm tall, with long blond-brown hair.

He vanished while playing in the front yard while on a surprise family visit to his grandmother with his parents and sister.

He was wearing only a Spiderman costume.

The search will continue through the night but as darkness falls and temperatures drop fears grow for the boy’s safety.