UPDATE: Police say search for missing toddler swept away in a Melbourne creek a ‘recovery mission’

A grim search will resume this morning for the body of a toddler swept away in a fast-moving creek after he fell into a drain yesterday.

Police said the search had become a recovery mission, believing there was almost no hope the 3-year-old-boy could have survived the freezing temperatures in the Dandenong Creek in Melbourne.

The current was so strong a male police officer was swept off his feet in knee-high water during the search, News Corp reported.

“Unfortunately one couldn’t expect that a small child would have much hope in such fast flowing water,” Sen-Sgt Phil Hulley said.

The distraught family of the three-year-old boy was being offered counselling at Dandenong Police station.

The family is understood to have immigrated to Australia from Afghanistan and only recently moved to the area.

A police helicopter with thermal imaging equipment also assisted the search as locals lined the creek to help find the child.

Parts of the creek were lit up where authorities believe the body of the missing child was likely to become snagged.

Hundreds of locals gathered along the creek bank while others walked along the nearby bike path to help with the search.

The recovery mission did not continue through the night due to concerns for the safety of search teams.