A man walks along the bank of the Yellow River to fish, in Pinglu
A man walks along the bank of the Yellow River to fish as the Sammenxia Dam discharges flood waters downstream, in Pinglu, Shanxi province, July 6, 2014. People risk sitting on the bank of the flooded river to catch the surge of fish forced to the river surface by the rushing water and hypoxia environment in deepwater. Picture taken July 6, 2014. REUTERS/China Daily

A group of volunteers in Canada, who had been looking for clues for missing people in the city, found unknown bones on a river bank.

It happened on the banks of the Red River in Winnipeg. The volunteers submitted the bones to police so that those could be analysed by forensic experts. The group was searching the river banks by foot to get any clue for any person who had been reportedly missing from the city. A spokeswoman of the Winnipeg Police Service said that it was unclear if the bones belonged to an animal or a human being. She said that the bones had been being tested. The Global and Mail quoted Terry Kolbuck saying that it was unknown how the bones had ended up on the river banks.

The group of volunteers started the search campaign "Drag the Red River" after Tina Fontaine, a 15-year-old aboriginal girl, whose lifeless body had been found in the Red River on Aug 17. Const. Jason Michalyshen said that police was acting as advisors in the search, Winnipeg Free Press reported. "I want to say this wholeheartedly, the Winnipeg Police Service supports their search efforts," he said, "We respect that members of the public are taking it upon themselves. They want answers. They want resolution. They want it as much as we do. This is a community coming together and we absolutely respect that."

There are around 1,180 aboriginal women in Canada that have been reported to be either missing or murdered. The group of volunteers was searching for human remains in connection with the missing people. Their search was not based on the victim's aboriginal background or gender. According to WPS, the bones have been seized to be processed. It was also said that nothing would be speculated about the bones. One of the volunteers discovered large bones in the dry soil by the end of Annabella Street.

Michalyshen also said that police officers would be "absolutely there" with the volunteers if they were needed. The role of the police would be to ensure safety for everyone taking part in the search, he said.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au