Rescue teams have resumed their search for a 7-year-old boy who was reportedly left in a forest “as punishment”.
According to CNN, Yamato Tanooka has now been missing for two days after being left in a mountain range, believed to be populated by brown bears, in the north of Japan on Saturday.
A spokesman for the Hokkaido Prefectural Police told the media outlet that the child went missing at approximately 4pm (local time). His parents reported him missing at 6pm.
They originally said that their son had disappeared during a day trip but later admitted that they told him to get out of the car on the way home “as punishment” for throwing rocks earlier that day.
The parents apparently drove back immediately to the area where they left Yamato but he was not there.
It is not known if the parents will face charges for their actions and the search continues.
